Redditch mechanic facing £40k fine says he was coerced by travellers

Ian Turner, 50, was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence in July

Redditch mechanic facing £40k fine says he was coerced by travellers
Turner's involvement in the operation was revealed after police tracked a stolen Land Rover discovery to his workshop in Warwickshire.

Ian Turner, of Jubilee Avenue, Redditch, is facing a £40,000 fine after stripping parts from Land Rovers said to be stolen by travellers, reports the Birmingham Mail.

Turner told the court that he was attacked on at least one occasion, and that he had been pressurised into working on the vehicles.

Police raided Turner’s workshop in Warwickshire after following the tracker of a Land Rover Discovery that had been stolen in Moseley, Birmingham last year.

They discovered parts from 15 Land Rovers, a Range Rover Evoque, Audi RS4, a Ford Fiesta and a motorbike.

Switching stories

Jonathan Coode, defending, commented: “There was a considerable amount of coercion, and the defendant was on one occasion assaulted.

“His wife advised him to give up the enterprise and move away from the farm, but they kept coming.”

Originally, Turner admitted to knowingly buying stolen vehicles from the travelling community, before back-tracking in a second interview where he stated that he had been pressured to strip vehicles they had brought to the farm.

Coode continued: ““I concede he was a vital cog, no pun intended, but he was not the driving force.”

Speaking to Turner during sentencing, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano said: “I don’t know how it started, but the fact is you kept going for over a year, providing for these people a valuable service.

“I accept it was not your operation, and it was not your idea, but you played an essential part.”

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