Joshua Dean Mathews: Man who turned his Hyundai into convertible pleads guilty
The man who deliberately sliced the roof of his car off to turn it into a convertible has admitted to breaking the law.
The Adelaide man who sliced off the roof of his standard sedan to turn it into a convertible has admitted to breaking the law.
Joshua Dean Mathews, 25, was arrested in May this year after he ran a red light in front of a patrol car along Jetty Rd at Glenelg, in Adelaide’s southwest.
Upon closer inspection, police saw the man had cut off the roof of the white Hyundai Excel to make it look like a convertible.
The Elizabeth Downs resident was charged with a string of offences, including breaching vehicle standards and maintenance requirements and failing to stop at a red light.
He was further charged with driving without a licence and failing to comply with a bail agreement.
During his brief appearance in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Mathews pleaded guilty to all charges against him.
He made no comment as he left the court alongside his lawyer Con O’Neill but did hurl abuse towards media before his hearing.
“Why are you pointing that camera at me, mate?” he said.
“How much does it cost? How would you feel if I smashed it on the ground?”
Mathews then said potential consequences of his threats were of no concern because he was “already going to jail”.
On the night of the incident, police allege Mathews and the other occupants of the car verbally abused officers, before running the red light at about 1am on May 2.
The car, which had extensive damage to its rear, was pulled over along Douglas Grove in Glenelg North, where police made the bizarre discovery.
SA Police checks revealed Mathews had not held a licence for six years and had been ordered not to drive under bail conditions.
The car was defected and towed away from the scene.
Mathews is due to reappear in court in August.
‘Irredeemable’: Steelworks forced into admin
The South Australian government has forced the huge Whyalla steelworks into administration as the Sanjeev Gupta-run operation owes millions to creditors.
Update for mum after school tirade
The 31-year-old has described the incident as “breaking point”, claiming her daughter was being “relentlessly bullied” in school.
Where to buy a house for less than 500k
Buying a property is out of reach for most young Aussies but there are 23 suburbs where you can get a home for less than $500,000.