Burnley man took £45,000 car after row

Blackburn magistrates heard Matthew James Holgate was stopped on the M65 as he headed for home.

Holgate, of Reed Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent, driving without insurance, and other than in accordance with a licence. He was remanded on bail for a pre-sentence report.

Andy Robinson, prosecuting, said Amanda Ahlgreen, a Wigan-based estate agent, described Holgate as her ‘on-off partner’.

He had recently come out of a drug rehabilitation unit and had been living with her in Orrell. “They had a row and she went to bed. He took the keys to her Mercedes and was stopped driving on the M65 later that night.”

Philip Turner, defending, said Holgate had taken the car to put some distance between them.