Simon Melbourne jailed after destroying $186,000 car he stole from Lexus of Adelaide CBD showroom

A judge told the man his arrest was “almost inevitable” after he made off with a $186,000 sports car from a CBD dealership. And then made even more bad decisions.

The busted-open gates at the rear of the Lexus dealership on West Terrace. Picture: SAPOL

A man has almost no memory of ruining and abandoning a $186,000 sports car, with a judge commenting his arrest was “practically an inevitability”.

Simon Melbourne, 44, was jailed after he was arrested sporting a Lexus jacket he had also stolen.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Melbourne broke into the Lexus Adelaide showroom on West Terrace on November 20, 2023.

He was captured on a CCTV camera at 1.40am getting into a Lexus LC500 vehicle, valued at $186,000, and driving away.

Melbourne drove through a rear gate, damaging it in the process.

He also stole a number of other items from the showroom, including tools, laptops and some Lexus merchandise.

The Lexus was stolen from a dealership on West Terrace in Adelaide's CBD. Picture: SAPOL

Melbourne then drove the Lexus to Renown Park where a resident heard loud clanging sounds coming from the street just after 3am.

“Although it was devastating for the owners of Lexus of Adelaide, your crime appears to have been barely planned and your apprehension was practically an inevitability,” Judge Carmen Matteo said.

“You made no effort to conceal yourself and carried McDonald’s takeaway which made it a straightforward exercise for police to identify you from CCTV from the McDonald’s on West Terrace.

“You had also left your fingerprints on the interior rear-vision mirror of the Lexus which you effectively abandoned in St Johns Avenue.”

Melbourne was located at an address in Novar Gardens wearing a Lexus-branded jacket he had stolen from the showroom.

The court heard the Lexus required a full repair, due to the significant damage.

Melbourne pleaded guilty to serious criminal trespass and theft.

The court heard Melbourne developed post-traumatic stress disorder after he suffered extensive burns to his face and arms in a motel room fire in 2012.

“About two months prior to committing the offences … in a turn of terrible misfortune you were the victim of another house fire,” Judge Matteo said.

The court heard Melbourne was self-medicating with drugs as a result and had no almost no memory of his offending.

Judge Matteo sentenced Melbourne to one year and nine months jail, with a non-parole period of one year and four months.

“The offences which you committed caused significant damage, loss and destruction to the business which fell victim to your conduct,” she said.

“Your trespass into the Lexus of Adelaide showroom showed no signs of masterful planning and whilst your actions were obviously purposeful, it is striking that having made off with such a valuable high performance vehicle you simply abandoned it making no effort whatsoever to convert it for profit.”

The sentence was backdated to November 4.