Sunderland bike repair man jailed after handling stolen cycles

Simon Taylor obtained bicycles that had been stolen from their owners, who needed them for work, so they could be sold on over Facebook marketplace.

The 39-year-old, who operated a bike fixing business from his family home, was caught with four pilfered pedal cycles when the house was raided by the police in June 2020.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Taylor then used his partner Ashley Sheraton's phone and Facebook accounts so he could carry on with the illegal business and received two more stolen cycles.

Prosecutor Neil Jones told the court the six stolen bikes that were recovered by the police were worth a total of £4,645 and were used "for commuting purposes" by their owners.

Mr Jones said: "There were Facebook marketplace entries indicating dealing in bikes was ongoing at that address."

The court heard one victim was a Royal Mail worker who bought her Pendleton electric bike to do her job

Another victim had an £800 bike stolen from a secured shed and later saw someone riding it.

One woman had a Carrera bike taken from her garden and later spotted it advertised on Facebook.

Mr Jones said prosecutors accept Sheraton, 35, "did not realise the extent of what had been going on" with the bikes in her home.

Taylor, of Padgate Road, Sunderland, admitted six charges of handling stolen goods and Sheraton, of the same address, admitted two charges of handling stolen goods.

Judge Penny Moreland said: "The six bicycles that the police were able to identify were valued together at something just over £4,500.

"Some of them were extremely valuable to the people who owned them, some were expensive and some used by people to get to work, having been bought for that purpose during lockdown.

"The theft of those bicycles will have caused extreme inconvenience and expense to them."

Taylor, who has 41 previous convictions, was jailed for three years.

Vic Laffey, defending, said Taylor knew the bikes were "too good to be true" and had been out of trouble for a significant period of time.

Sheraton, who has no previous convictions, was given a two year community order with a three month curfew and a £250 compensation order.