Joshua Dean Mathews jailed for turning his car into a convertible and stealing a pram during crime spree

A new dad who chopped off his car’s roof because he couldn’t afford a convertible – and stole an expensive pram – has discovered his fate.

A man who swung a stolen $1900 pram at a Baby Bunting staff member and turned his car into a convertible has been jailed for his “deliberate” conduct.

Joshua Dean Mathews told his lawyer he “acted stupidly” during his crime rampage, before dodging the law for five months.

Joshua Dean Mathews. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kelly Barnes

The Adelaide Magistrates Court heard Mathews stole a $1900 pram from the Baby Bunting store at Gepps Cross in April 2021 and when confronted by a staff member, he picked up the pram and swung it at her.

The pram was able to be returned to the store.

A month later, Mathews – who has not held a licence since 2015 – cut the roof off his Hyundai sedan to make it into a convertible and drove down Jetty Rd, Glenelg.

When spotted by police, he verbally abused them and then ran a red light, sparking a short-lived chase that saw him arrested.

On another occasion, Mathews was caught driving a different car while disqualified and told police he was driving to pick up some friends because he didn’t want them to be in the rain.

He also performed a large burnout on August 25, 2020.

Mathews, 26, of Elizabeth, pleaded guilty to a raft of offences including theft, assault and misusing a motor vehicle while disqualified, unregistered and uninsured.

The homemade convertible caught the attention of police after Mathews ran a red light. Picture: SA Police

Con O’Neill, for Mathews, told the court when he asked why he did it, Matthews replied he “he had just acted stupidly”.

Mr O’Neill said Mathews and his partner had a baby coming and that’s why he stole the pram.

“No way in the world could he ever afford something like that,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s honourable, I’m just saying that’s what he did.”

Mr O’Neill said the new father was obsessed with cars and had been a competitive driver in the past.

“I’m not saying he’s an aspirational man from Elizabeth Downs who wants a sports car, there’s no way in the wide world he’d ever get a sports car,” he said.

A warrant had been out for Mathews’ arrest October 2021, before he surrendered himself in March and has been in custody since.

Magistrate Simon Smart sentenced Mathews in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday to eight months and 15 days jail.

“You repeated deliberate incursion to criminal conduct,” he said.
The sentence was backdated to March 16.