Former business owner Gary Charles Steele in court for Mercedes act

A former business owner convicted of punching and kicking a motorist was spotted towing away a Mercedes Benz he found sitting on a Sunshine Coast street in an attempt to sell the vehicle.

Gary Charles Steele after a previous court appearance at Maroochydore Courthouse.

A former Sunshine Coast business owner who was convicted of punching a man in a road rage incident attempted to pluck a Mercedes Benz van straight off the street in order to sell the vehicle.

Coolum man Gary Charles Steele, 62, pleaded guilty in Noosa Magistrates Court on February 6 to one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and two counts of driving without a licence.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan told the court Steele had spotted the van to have been parked unused in a street at Marcoola and on July 7, 2023 he arranged to tow the vehicle away.

The court heard Steele modified the ignition to be able to start the car with a screwdriver, causing $546 in damage to the van.

Police prosecutor Mark Burrell said the car was in his possession for an extended period of time.

Businesses in the area had recognised him as he was tinkering with the vehicle and reported the incident to the owner who contacted Steele, the court heard.

Mr Callaghan said Steele associated with the businesses’ employees during his time working as a furniture removalist business owner.

The court heard the owner of the van rang Steele to secure reimbursement of the damages but then took the matter to police.

Senior Constable Burrell said Steele was put on a suspended sentence of 15 months after he was convicted of assault occasioning bodily harm for a road rage incident in 2021.

The order was to be operational for three years and was due to expire in August this year.

Defence lawyer Rose Killip said her client had been willing to pay for the repairs when he was first contacted and tried to reimburse the owner before police became involved.

She told the court her client is now unemployed after he received a cancer diagnosis, which he is seeking treatment for but is likely to remain for the rest of his life.

Mr Callaghan sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment to be immediately released on parole and extended his suspended sentence period by three months.

He was also ordered to pay $546 in restitution, was given a $400 fine for driving without a licence and was disqualified from driving for two months.

Convictions were recorded.