A HOLIDAYMAKER who left his £44,000 car with an airport “meet and greet” service returned home to find it completely wrecked after it became involved in an aborted drugs deal.
The car had been left at Gatwick airport’s car park after being driven there by an employee of the meet and greet company.
The man returned from a holiday to find his car completely torched[/caption]
But after the employee dropped the car off, he later met two charity workers in a bar in Crawley, who mistakenly believed he was a drug dealer and so took the car as reparation when he told them he did not have drugs.
The charity workers themselves had been due to fly abroad on business from Gatwick airport when they stole the car and trashed it.
A court heard how the duo took the RAV4 car and drove it a short distance, pushed it down an embankment and set it ablaze.
Today, the two men were sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work and temporarily disqualified from driving.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Two men have been sentenced for their roles in taking a vehicle and setting fire to it near London Gatwick Airport.
“Edward Maunder, aged 37 years and Michael Lyons, aged 28 years, were due to fly to Peru for charity work for their company.
“The night before departure they met a driver of a vehicle from a meet and greet parking company in a bar in Crawley.
“They mistakenly believed the driver was a drug dealer, and took the car as reparation when the driver told them he did not have drugs.
“The vehicle, a Toyota Rav 4, had been handed to a meet and greet company by a holidaymaker days earlier.
“Maunder and Lyons bought a jerry can of petrol, then left the vehicle ablaze below the monorail link between terminals.
“The monorail had to be temporarily closed while the fire was put out and any structural damage was assessed.
“They were both served with a postal requisition to attend court and were sentenced.
“At Hove Crown Court Maunder, formerly an office administration worker of Coniston Crescent, Thornton Clevelys, Lancashire, admitted arson.
“Lyons, formerly an office clerk of Upper Chorlton Road, Manchester, also admitted arson and theft of a motor vehicle.
“The court was told the incident happened on October 16, 2023.
“Lyons was arrested on October 16 in a staff car park nearby at London Gatwick, in an intoxicated state, with the key to the Toyota still in his trouser pocket.
“Maunder was later arrested in the South Terminal. Maunder recorded the night’s events on his mobile phone, showing them in the vehicle and driving it, and discussing how they would set it on fire.”
Detective Sergeant Ian Warncken said: “Maunder and Lyons’ behaviour was reckless and appalling.
“Their reasons for deciding to not only take the vehicle, but to set fire to it, are inexplicable.
“They risked causing serious harm to themselves and to the public, and risked disruption to the airport.”
Both men were sentenced to two-year suspended prison sentences and ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
“They must also pay £3,000 each in compensation to the Toyota Rav 4 vehicle owner”, Sergeant Ian added.
Edward was disqualified from driving for 18 months, and ordered to complete 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) sessions, and he must also complete 120 days of alcohol abstinence.
Michael was disqualified from driving for one year and was ordered to complete ten RAR sessions.
It comes after another vehicle was left torched by cowboy airport parking who took it on a joyride while the owners were abroad.
The couple’s £175k BMW was completely trashed by the airport firm as they landed back at Manchester Airport from a holiday in Czech Republic.
Two charity workers were sentenced to two-year suspended prison sentences[/caption]
