James Warren
A BRITISH man has been sentenced in the UK for stealing an €80,000 Audi on a finance plan before fleeing to Spain and selling it on, a court has heard.
Luke Tuck, 33, of Tharston Norfolk, reportedly took out a finance plan on the top end Audi Q7 with Norfolk Audi back in March 2018.
The court heard how Tuck received £33,000 in compensation in 2017 for falling 10 metres from scaffolding, leaving him to spend a year in a wheelchair with his injuries.
With his winnings, he paid off his mother’s mortgage and went on a spending spree, including the Audi and a property on the Costa del Sol.
However Tuck got careless with his spending and soon ran out of funds, leading him to split from his long term girlfriend.
“Things fell apart spectacularly,” said Andrew Oliver, Tuck’s lawyer at the hearing.
After agreeing to pay £433 (€488) per month for 48 months for the car, the retired scaffolder paid the first three months direct debit before cancelling the plan, owing a total of round £39,000 (€43,000) to the dealership.
It was then discovered that Tuck fled to his property in Spain before selling the car for just £13,000 (€14,300).
According to his defense, Tuck was forced to sell the car after being threatened with a gun.
Further details of the alleged threat made were not made available.
Tuck was found guilty of vehicle theft and sentenced to eight months in prison, 15 hours rehabilitation, a curfew and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Isobel Ascherson called the case ‘a serious example of dishonesty’.
