John Holloway was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.
A thief who was caught stealing a bike in Wandsworth has been sentenced to 12 weeks in jail.
John Holloway, 24, was sentenced to four weeks imprisonment at Wimbledon Magistrates Court as well as a further eight weeks imprisonment for re-offending while subject to a suspended sentence for a previous theft of a pedal cycle.
In April, officers from the Cycle Task Force and Wandsworth Safer Transport Team were carrying out a bicycle initiative in Balham, when they witnessed Holloway and his accomplice Thomas O’Connor carrying out the theft outside Balham station.
O’Connor, who was on a Raleigh Urban 700 bicycle, acted as a look-out while Holloway cut the lock.
Both were quickly detained by officers who carried out checks on the Raleigh bicycle, and found out the owner was not O’Connor.
Officers contacted the legitimate owner, who informed them he had left his bicycle secured outside his home address in Balham High Road that morning and had just returned home to find it was no longer there.
Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor, Safer Transport Command said it was only because the bike was marked that the owner had it returned to him.
“Had the stolen Raleigh not been security marked and registered, officers would not have been able to identify an owner,” he said.
“We encourage all cyclists to register details of their bike on the MPS preferred cycle online registration service – www.bikeregister.com for this reason.
“We are determined to bring cycle thieves to justice and are working closley with BTP, City of London Police and Transport for London to reduce cycle theft accross London.”
O’Connor, 21, was fined for handling stolen goods.
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