Man's shocking Tesla claim after facing court over keying luxury cars
The man and his wife pleaded guilty after damaging two luxury vehicles at a Brisbane shopping centre.
An elderly man caught keying two cars has claimed he would "love to see a Tesla on fire" after pleading guilty to wilful damage in court.
Raymond Edwards and wife Barbara were captured on camera approaching two luxury cars at Brisbane’s Brookside Shopping Centre in late October, both keying a Tesla. The court was also told Raymond also keyed a white BMW parked next to the Tesla.
Raymond told the Daily Mail, who attended his home this week to obtain comment, that their actions towards the vehicles were "completely out of character" and they had let their frustrations get the better of them after allegedly being dangerously "cut off" by a white Tesla and BMW before arriving at the shops.
"I regret our actions, but the thing is, courtesy has been thrown out the window and stupidity has been thrown in," he said. "I see people driving irresponsibly all the time and you see the police travelling nearby doing nothing."
Keying incident costs couple $5000
Raymond, who appears to be a high-performance car enthusiast, said in 50-plus years of driving he could count on one hand the number of traffic infringements he was guilty of and has never had a criminal conviction.
On January 16 the pair were ordered to pay restitution for the damage caused to the Tesla and the BMW, with Raymond ordered to pay $2443.61 and Barbara $897.25. "It's cost me close to $5,000. I plan to pay $50 a fortnight until its paid off," he revealed.
Despite the costs, Raymond told the Daily Mail his disdain for electric vehicles has not diminished. "Electric cars, I'd never buy one — not that I could afford one," he said. "I'd love to see a Tesla pulled up on the side of the road on fire. I'd get out and I'd stand there and I'd clap."
Couple claim they have been harassed since the incident
Raymond told Daily Mail he has suffered a heart attack in recent months and his wife remains "in poor health".
As well as this, he said the couple have been vilified and harassed by the public since the footage was obtained and shared online.
"Keyboard warriors have made all kinds of accusations — one said we keyed a Ford Mustang, which is crazy, I support blue (Ford) all the way," he said. "We had a rock thrown at our house, it bounced off the railing but could have smashed through a window."
Following the keying incident, Raymond claims the pair unfairly received a life ban from Brookside Shopping Centre.
In November 2023, the Centre’s manager Greg Plaweck told 7News he was "very disappointed" by the alleged behaviour. "When something wrong is being done, especially when there’s a crime being committed, we obviously don’t approve of it," he said.
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