Hermes driver had two cars stolen in one day after leaving the keys in the ignition

[dutchman]

But he was too embarrassed to admit the truth so he lied to police



A Hermes courier driver lied to the police after his car was stolen after he left the key in the ignition while out on a delivery.

But remarkably, after telling the police that he was robbed Shahib Najeeb then borrowed his son’s Mercedes to continue working and once again left the key in the ignition.

When the Mercedes was stolen he made yet another bogus robbery complaint.

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Describing the first time Najeeb's car was stolen, prosecutor David Jackson said that at 8am on July 14 Najeeb complained to the police that he had been robbed while making a delivery in Eastern Green Lane.

Najeeb said he had been approached by a man who had demanded the keys to his Ford Galaxy, and that the car was taken after he had handed them over.

The car was found shortly afterwards after being crashed by a man called Kevin Pratt, who was arrested on suspicion of robbery and remanded in custody.

Pratt, who was over the legal alcohol limit, admitted taking the car, but insisted he had seen it with the key in the ignition, and had simply got in and driven away.

Initially, the police did not believe him and he was charged with robbery – but that was dropped after a few days, and he was subsequently jailed for aggravated vehicle taking.

Meanwhile, later the same day, after the parcels he had been delivering had been recovered from his car, Najeeb borrowed his son’s Mercedes so he could continue working.

Unbelievably, he again left the key in the ignition while making a delivery in Shelfield Close, Mount Nod, - and that car was stolen by someone who simply got in and drove away.

Najeeb again called the police and complained that he had been robbed of the car keys by a man who had punched him in the face and took the keys from him before stealing the car.

The police spent three-and-a-half hours investigating his complaint, including making door-to-door enquiries, and his son’s Mercedes was later found burned-out, said Mr Jackson.

When suspicion finally fell on him and he was questioned 12 days later, Najeeb admitted both robbery allegations were false and that on both occasions he had left the keys in the cars.

Najeeb's luck changed when a judge decided not to jail him after he pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two charges of doing acts intended to pervert the course of justice.

The 47-year-old, of Prince of Wales Road, Chapelfields, Coventry, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay £250 costs.

Sentencing Najeeb, Recorder Michelle Heeley QC told him: “You had the misfortune to be the victim of thefts twice in one day, and on both occasions your car was stolen with packages in which you were delivering.

“You panicked and you worried about your job, and you therefore embellished what had happened and told the police you had been robbed.

“The police dedicated significant resources to your case and Mr Pratt was arrested. He was not an innocent man – but he was not guilty of the robbery you had accused him of.

“It is vital we uphold integrity in the criminal justice system, and cases of people lying to the police carry prison sentences. But these are unusual circumstances, and you were genuinely the victim of crimes.”

[rebbonk]

Another out of touch judge.