"Sophisticated" bike thieves who targeted Sussex rail stations jailed (From The Argus)
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"Sophisticated" bike thieves who targeted Sussex rail stations jailed
2:00pm Saturday 5th January 2013 in News
"Sophisticated" bike thieves who targeted Sussex rail stations jailed
Brothers who ran a “sophisticated operation” stealing bicycles from railway stations across the south east have been jailed.
Thomas and James Jeffries stole bicycles worth thousands of pounds from scores of railway stations including Hove, which they targeted twice, Burgess Hill and Three Bridges.
They drove out of London in Thomas’ red Renault van and used bolt cutters and pliers to steal bikes from the racks.
Describing the crimes as a “pretty sophisticated operation”, recorder Kenneth Hamer said: “This was a well organised, systematic theft of bicycles from racks attached to railway stations, to sell on for profit.
“The timescale and the length of travel indicate a large degree of planning.
“These offences involved not just loss of property, but real inconvenience to the owners.
“Not one word of thought have you given to the owners and your lowand thoroughly dishonest acts have no doubt caused them much aggravation and frustration to the victims on learning that their mode of transport, frequently used by them to get to and from work, has been stolen.”
He read from two victim impact statements, including one man who was left “very angry and anxious” about leaving his bike in public.
The victim continued: “I don’t think people who steal fully accept the amount of stress this type of crime places on victims.”
Another woman’s stolen bike had sentimental value after she cycled it to Paris.
Recorder Hamer added: “You knew exactly what you were doing.”
He jailed Thomas, 25, of Hillrise Road, Romford and James, 23, of Arden Estate, Hackney, each for 30 months.
The brothers admitted stealing 13 bikes from 11 railway stations, but British Transport Police detective inspector Ashley Cooper said it could be the tip of the iceberg.
Officers also recovered 14 bicycles which they could not trace the owners of.
Mr Cooper said: “Bicycle theft is quite a large amount of our reported crime and we want people to know we are taking it seriously.”
Figures obtained by The Argus show that more than 1,500 bicycles were reported stolen in a year in Brighton and Hove.
Comments(20)
Sussex jim
says...
3:25pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:This should happen with anything of value; from mobile phones to hi-fi units, domestic appliances, etc.
New bikes should be issued with ownership documents as cars are and when sold on the ownership documents transferred.
Anyone selling a bike without the correct documents should then be charged with selling stolen goods or anyone buying a bike without the correct documents charged with receiving.
It's not difficult.
Wnen you buy note the serial number, and write it on the original receipt from the shop. When you sell, even at a boot fair, write on the receipt- "sold to x, date"
When you buy, insist on seeing the original receipt. Even if you get a new one from the seller.
pebble counter
says...
4:15pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Indigatio
says...
5:03pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:There is no such thing as an 'ownership document' for a car. DVLA recorded the Registered Keeper and it clearly states on a V5C that this is the case. just because you have a V5C in your name doesn't mean you own the vehicle.
New bikes should be issued with ownership documents as cars are and when sold on the ownership documents transferred.
Anyone selling a bike without the correct documents should then be charged with selling stolen goods or anyone buying a bike without the correct documents charged with receiving.
It's not difficult.
30 months, good. At least they got a good sentence, even if they will be out in 15!
John Steed
says...
5:33pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:with approaching 100 million bikes being sold PER YEAR in the uk,with a value of some £700 million any registration scheme will fail.
New bikes should be issued with ownership documents as cars are and when sold on the ownership documents transferred.
Anyone selling a bike without the correct documents should then be charged with selling stolen goods or anyone buying a bike without the correct documents charged with receiving.
It's not difficult.
there are those who steal top end stuff, often to order and with plenty of £900.00 plus bikes around its a big problem, then there are the opportunist scrotes who will jump on anything just to ride along the road and also those that nick to sell for a few pounds to pay for their habits. the problem comes when owners (1) do not record the frame number & (2) use a cheap micky mouse lock to secure the bike assuming they use a lock at all. recently a bike thief from worthing was jailed for a few months, with 87 odd thefts dealt with as TIC (taken into consideration) he had a drug problem and was at it daily earner, I recently saw the police challenge a guy and when he left i said to the officer that bike has just been knicked, he agreed but he decided that as it was a tatty clanker, the owner was hardly likely to report it. and there lies the next part of the problem, seriously more bikes are stolen than are reported, as well as stolen bikes often getting restolen, less than half are probally stolen for resale, often a bike is stolen simply to get a replacement wheel or some other part (a bare rear wheel is £40.00 ish and thats without getting the rear gear cassette removed/refitted.) there is NO simplistic easy answer but a good lock and chain can deter. but who wants to spend £60/70 upwards and have to carry the thing like a mayors chain of office when it not in use.
sasquatch2202
says...
5:35pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost
says...
6:04pm Sat 5 Jan 13
It would be possible to set up a scheme of some sort which second hand good dealers sign up to. Those who don't would leave themselves open to police scrutiny.
willy harris
says...
6:29pm Sat 5 Jan 13
sasquatch2202
says...
8:09pm Sat 5 Jan 13
willy harris wrote:Love it
these lovely people that steal bikes from others ,should when/if they are caught could have there pants/knickers pulled to there ankles and placed on the said bike with the saddle removed,,leaving the support stem, and a picture taken then posted in this newspaper..i would buy many copies.
100 grand summer
says...
8:51am Sun 6 Jan 13
ShorehamBeachcomber
says...
9:22am Sun 6 Jan 13
willy harris
says...
9:51am Sun 6 Jan 13
The Real Phil
says...
1:09pm Sun 6 Jan 13
willy harris wrote:A ggod point. Let's hope firstly that they get sent to different prisons to keep them isolated. Next, let's hope that they are both "good looking boys" who might then learn another lesson in why it is good to stay out of prison. Harsh, but effective.
did mister shoreham beachcomber say nabbed or nobbed.which one do they deserve,???
getThisCoalitionOut
says...
1:37pm Sun 6 Jan 13
willy harris wrote:That is a brilliant idea - could the same punishment be used for all our thieving MP's - please?
these lovely people that steal bikes from others ,should when/if they are caught could have there pants/knickers pulled to there ankles and placed on the said bike with the saddle removed,,leaving the support stem, and a picture taken then posted in this newspaper..i would buy many copies.
Gary Baldy
says...
3:05pm Sun 6 Jan 13
e.com/
Most second hand shops and police forces use it to check pawned or found items.
John Steed
says...
5:07pm Sun 6 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:not sure you are actually aware of what you are refering to, the scrap industry has only one method of dealing with bikes, by weight as they go in, the value is as fragging steel, alloy wheels are dirty aluminium. if you are refering to the new regulations about ID and payment by cheque/bacs that will have no effect on stolen bikes, or stolen anything else for that matter, as a recent fire at easons green revealed, stolen copper cable tends to get well stripped to disguse it, after all the markings are on the outside plastic case and once unwound the cores are are just clean copper wire.
Indignatio you know what I am getting at. Each bike has a frame number it would be easy for some sort of scheme to be introduced. The scrap metal business is having a scheme introduced which was created between dealers, users and numerous agencies.
It would be possible to set up a scheme of some sort which second hand good dealers sign up to. Those who don't would leave themselves open to police scrutiny.
The new requirements simply record who has gone in and sold metal, together with what generic metal was sold, all reputable scrap yards have been doing that for yonks, oh and had CCTV , it hasnt helped reduce metal theft one little bit
countrygirl12
says...
5:14pm Sun 6 Jan 13
om/watch?v=6AdugFzCi
24
I do think better facilities need to be provided for people to lock up their bikes especially with all the cycle to work schemes, has the RSCH improved this, they were talking about lockable bike sheds etc. it would be interesting to know what the stats are on the new bike shed at HH and has cycle theft dropped since it has been introduced
Larry the Lamb
says...
6:50pm Sun 6 Jan 13
Levent
says...
9:53pm Sun 6 Jan 13
Larry the Lamb
says...
11:21pm Sun 6 Jan 13
Maxwell's Ghost says...
2:43pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Anyone selling a bike without the correct documents should then be charged with selling stolen goods or anyone buying a bike without the correct documents charged with receiving.
It's not difficult.