Men jailed after using fake gun to try to steal Ferrari from 'terrified' Mansfield couple
The pair tricked their way into the owner's house, pretending they wanted to buy the supercar, but instead of completing the deal, Ali pointed a gun at the victim and told him to put on handcuffs.
Saturday 6 January 2024 22:22, UK
Two men who tried to steal a Ferrari by holding a couple at gunpoint with a fake firearm have been jailed, police have said.
Mohammed Ali, 39, and Muhamed Juwara, 20, were sentenced to 18 years in prison and nine years in a young offenders' institution respectively at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.
They subjected their victims to a "terrifying ordeal", Nottinghamshire Police said.
Ali, of Willow Brook Manor, Wakefield, and Juwara, of Bayswater Road, Leeds, contacted the supercar's owner after seeing it for sale online and told him they wanted to buy it.
They were invited to a house in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield, in September 2022.
But after agreeing to buy the car, Ali instead pointed a gun at the victim and told him to put on handcuffs.
A struggle began, during which the owner's partner hit the offenders with a vase, before Ali and Juwara fled the scene without the Ferrari - but having taken the woman's phone and leaving a set of handcuffs, Duct tape and ball bearings behind them.
After several police searches in the West Yorkshire area, they were arrested within 48 hours.
Ali was also convicted of a similar offence in Cheltenham, in July 2022, when he tried to steal a Lamborghini.
He again conned his way into the victim's home and agreed to buy the vehicle before suddenly pulling out a firearm.
The victim was handcuffed and forced to transfer thousands of pounds of cash to Ali, who then drove the victim to a residential estate in Staffordshire before letting him get out, the force said.
Officers discovered a photo of the victim tied up during the kidnapping on Ali's phone while examining the device for evidence.
Ali was charged with two counts of robbery, kidnap, attempted robbery and two counts of having an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Juwara was charged with attempted robbery which he later admitted to in court.
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PC Hollie Fothergill, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Ali and Juwara put their victims through what must have been a terrifying ordeal.
"The duo managed to con their way into a family home under the pretence of buying a high-value car that they never had any intention of paying for.
"While their actual aim to steal the car was ultimately unsuccessful, the men did take the woman's phone - all while threatening to hurt the couple with what looked like a real gun."