Beckton car gang boss has sentence extended after failed appeal
Raimundas Matulevicius was ordered to serve an extra three months behind bars for wasting the court's time - Credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images
The head of a Lithuanian crime gang who challenged his conviction has been ordered to serve extra time behind bars for his “totally unmeritorious” appeal.
The head of a Lithuanian crime gang who challenged his conviction has been ordered to serve extra time behind bars for his “totally unmeritorious” appeal.
Raimundas Matulevicius, of Firbank Close, Beckton, was in charge of a “multi-million pound” racket involving chopping up hundreds of cars in “slaughterhouses” before shipping the parts to eastern Europe.
The 29-year-old was jailed for six years in July last year after Wood Green Crown Court found him guilty of conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
On Tuesday, December 16, three senior Appeal Court judges rejected his appeal for his conviction to be quashed and added an extra three months to his sentence for wasting the court’s time.
Matulevicius was one of two members of the 11-strong gang who denied being involved in the conspiracy, claiming the evidence against him was circumstantial.
A previous bid to clear his name was rejected on seeing the papers.
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Matulevicius’s lawyers argued that his conviction was “unsafe” and that the “biased” trial judge had misdirected the jury.
Mr Justice Gilbart, sitting with Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice William Davis, rejected the appeal.
He said: “This was an immensely strong circumstantial case against Matulevicius and, considering all the grounds individually and cumulatively, it is not arguable that the conviction is unsafe.
“This always was a totally unmeritorious application, which has wasted the time of this court.”
Matulevicius will also face an additional 18 months in prison if he fails to hand over £75,000 of his ill-gotten gains.
