diff --git a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMapping.java b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMapping.java
index 325a6bfa2..f22bc4111 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMapping.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMapping.java
@@ -113,14 +113,13 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
 			acceptType = config.getDefaultMediaType().toString();
 		}
 
-		HttpServletRequest request = new DefaultAcceptTypeHttpServletRequest(origRequest, acceptType);
+		String uri = extractRepositoryLookupPath(lookupPath, config.getBaseUri());
 
-		if (!hasText(lookupPath)) {
-			return super.lookupHandlerMethod(lookupPath, request);
+		if (uri == null) {
+			return null;
 		}
 
-		String uri = extractRepositoryLookupPath(lookupPath, config.getBaseUri());
-		request = new DefaultAcceptTypeHttpServletRequest(request, acceptType, uri);
+		HttpServletRequest request = new DefaultAcceptTypeHttpServletRequest(origRequest, acceptType, uri);
 
 		// Root request
 		if (!StringUtils.hasText(uri) || uri.equals("/")) {
@@ -129,7 +128,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
 
 		String[] parts = uri.split("/");
 
-		if (mappings.exportsTopLevelResourceFor(parts[1])) {
+		if (mappings.exportsTopLevelResourceFor(parts[uri.startsWith("/") ? 1 : 0])) {
 			return super.lookupHandlerMethod(uri, request);
 		}
 
@@ -142,7 +141,8 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
 	 * 
 	 * @param lookupPath must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param baseUri must not be {@literal null}.
-	 * @return
+	 * @return the stripped lookup path with then the repository URI space or {@literal null} in case the lookup path is
+	 *         not pointing into the repository URI space.
 	 */
 	private static String extractRepositoryLookupPath(String lookupPath, URI baseUri) {
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
 			}
 
 			uri = uri.startsWith("/") ? uri : "/".concat(uri);
-			return lookupPath.substring(uri.length(), lookupPath.length());
+			return lookupPath.startsWith(uri) ? lookupPath.substring(uri.length(), lookupPath.length()) : null;
 		}
 
 		List<String> baseUriSegments = UriComponentsBuilder.fromUri(baseUri).build().getPathSegments();
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMapping extends RequestMappingHandlerMapping {
 			}
 		}
 
-		return lookupPath;
+		return null;
 	}
 
 	/*
diff --git a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMappingUnitTests.java b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMappingUnitTests.java
index d22e0bf72..a3d2a903a 100644
--- a/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMappingUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-rest-webmvc/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/rest/webmvc/RepositoryRestHandlerMappingUnitTests.java
@@ -163,16 +163,57 @@ public class RepositoryRestHandlerMappingUnitTests {
 	public void returnsRepositoryHandlerMethodForAbsoluteBaseUriWithServletMapping() throws Exception {
 
 		String baseUri = "http://localhost/base";
+		String uri = baseUri.concat("/people/");
 
 		when(mappings.exportsTopLevelResourceFor("people")).thenReturn(true);
-		mockRequest = new MockHttpServletRequest("GET", baseUri.concat("/people/"));
-		mockRequest.setServletPath(baseUri.concat("/people/"));
+		mockRequest = new MockHttpServletRequest("GET", uri);
+		mockRequest.setServletPath(uri);
 
 		configuration.setBaseUri(URI.create(baseUri));
 
-		HandlerMethod method = handlerMapping.lookupHandlerMethod("/people/", mockRequest);
+		HandlerMethod method = handlerMapping.lookupHandlerMethod("/base/people/", mockRequest);
 
 		assertThat(method, is(notNullValue()));
 		assertThat(method.getMethod(), is(listEntitiesMethod));
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAREST-276
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void refrainsFromMappingIfTheRequestDoesNotPointIntoAbsolutelyDefinedUriSpace() throws Exception {
+
+		String baseUri = "http://localhost/base";
+		String uri = baseUri.concat("/people/");
+
+		when(mappings.exportsTopLevelResourceFor("people")).thenReturn(true);
+		mockRequest = new MockHttpServletRequest("GET", uri);
+		mockRequest.setServletPath(uri);
+
+		configuration.setBaseUri(URI.create(baseUri));
+
+		HandlerMethod method = handlerMapping.lookupHandlerMethod("/people", mockRequest);
+
+		assertThat(method, is(nullValue()));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAREST-276
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void refrainsFromMappingWhenUrisDontMatch() throws Exception {
+
+		String baseUri = "foo";
+		String uri = baseUri.concat("/people");
+
+		when(mappings.exportsTopLevelResourceFor("people")).thenReturn(true);
+		mockRequest = new MockHttpServletRequest("GET", uri);
+		mockRequest.setServletPath(uri);
+
+		configuration.setBaseUri(URI.create(baseUri));
+
+		HandlerMethod method = handlerMapping.lookupHandlerMethod("/people", mockRequest);
+
+		assertThat(method, is(nullValue()));
+	}
 }