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The judge said it was he finally ‘faced the consequences’
A prolific Nottingham bike thief’s luck has finally run out after a judge decided to send him to prison.
Solemn-faced Luke King said to his barrister “Graham, can you tell my mum” after Judge Steven Coupland told him “it is time you finally face the consequences” of his criminal actions.
The 32-year-old thief’s sentencing hearing was told how he deliberately targeted high-value bicycles at a University of Nottingham campus, the QMC and outside a West Bridgford gym.
The defendant, of Aspley, took bolt croppers to the scene to snap the locks and rode off on the bikes, none of which have ever been recovered.
And his 19 previous court appearances for 42 offences include many for carrying out the exact same type of crime – a record that will see him spend Christmas and New Year behind bars.
Jailing King for eight months, Judge Coupland said: “Stealing people’s bikes may not sound serious but over a seven-month period you targeted expensive bikes, picking and choosing which ones you wanted to take.
“This was plainly planned because you took tools to break the locks and the total value was just under £3,000.
“You carried on despite being on a suspended sentence and you carried on while on bail.
“People work hard to earn money to buy these things not to have them taken by people like you and that makes this type of offence serious.
“I am told you now have accommodation and that you have not offended in the past 14 months.
“I am afraid the time has come for you to face the consequences of what you did.”
Louise Howard, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court, said King’s offences all took place at the campuses, the QMC and outside Romo gym, in Wilford Lane, West Bridgford, between March and October 2024.
She said on each occasion the victims, some students; one professor; and someone working at the hospital, had locked their bicycles in racks and that the defendant was captured on CCTV arriving and using the bolt croppers to snap the locks and steal the bikes.
The prosecutor said: “He picked and chose which bikes he wanted,on at least one occasion riding up and down selecting which one to steal, riding off on that one and leaving the one he arrived on.
“The total value of the bikes he stole was some £2,980.”
King, formerly of New Tythe Street, Long Eaton and now of Calcroft Close, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft.
Graham Heathcote, mitigating, said his client had been kicked out of the Long Eaton address the defendant shared with a friend and is now living with his ill mother who is the carer for.
He said: “He lives a fairly isolated existence and his closest family member is his mother.
“She is unable to attend court today as she is unwell and he didn’t want her here as he didn’t want her to see him in court.”
As King was sent down, he looked at Mr Heathcote from the dock and said: “Graham, can you let my mum know?” to which the legal expert replied: “Of course.”
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