The long road to justice – and how we covered it

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One thing we’re particularly proud of at the Stray Ferret is that we keep track of our stories – we don’t just report on it once and never follow up.

This is particularly true for crime stories – reporting on everything from the initial incident to the court sentencing.

One example recently is the end – or so it seems – of a case we’ve been covering since our launch in 2020: that of a fraudster who stole more than £1 million worth of luxury cars. 

Knaresborough luxury car dealer Andrew Mearns set up a business that specialised in the sale, service and restoration of classic Porsches and other high-end cars.

Gmund Cars Ltd was set up in 2006 by Mearns and his wife Samantha Mearns, who was a former Conservative councillor for Knaresborough Scriven Park on Harrogate Borough Council.

Mearns dealt with customers whose cars could be worth £80,000 and in some cases offered to sell them on a “sale or return” basis.

But in December 2018 things appeared to start to unravel, with Ms Mearns stepping down as company secretary – resigning as councillor in 2021 – and Gmund Cars going into administration in July 2019.

In 2020, the Stray Ferret spoke to six alleged Gmund Cars Ltd victims. Some said they lost out on medical treatment, time away from work to see terminally ill parents, or their entire pension pot as a result.

The administrator's report from June 2020 found more than £1 million in claims stacked up against the business, with only £15,000 in assets – and the police had started an investigation.

After three years of the police investigation, nothing had happened. The Stray Ferret chased the police for an update, and they confirmed the investigation was still ongoing – leaving alleged victims frustrated.

In April 2023 there was still no progress, and the Stray Ferret spoke to customers who had been left out of pocket and were losing faith in the justice system.

In June 2023, Mearns was finally charged – pleading not guilty – and in August 2026 he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. We made sure to attend, even though the hearing was held in Sheffield, as well as speak to victims.

So, it seems the case is quite literally closed. But we will make sure to put in our diary the dates for parole hearings and potential release, and keep bringing you any updates on the story.

And spending years following a case is not a one-off occurrence – we have an office calendar for reminders of these things to check in on (which does also include nice stories, such as the Masham Sheep Fair).

Court-wise, coming up we have the verdict from a parole hearing of a man who killed a young girl and buried her body at Brimham Rocks, the trial of a man charged with killing a teenager while driving, and the sentencing of a man who stabbed a pub landlord.