Thief tackled to the ground after CCTV caught him with bolt croppers in Northampton town centre

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison after being charged with the theft of a bike from Northampton town centre.

Police officers were alerted to a man with bolt croppers near The Drapery in Northampton town centre at around 8.30am yesterday (August 19). CCTV operators watched him cut the chain to a bicycle in the area and make off with it.

Officers were deployed to the scene where they tackled the man to the ground and recovered the bicycle.

John Patrick Lavelle,29, of Blisworth Close in Northampton, was later charged with theft and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison at Northampton Magistrates' Court today (August 20).

Fortunately, the bike owner - Gary - had registered his bicycle on Bike Register, which is a bike marking website that allows police to check a central database and locate the rightful owner of a stolen bike.

Dave Stimpson from the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This was a great result and I am really pleased we were able to quickly return Gary’s bike to him.

“Some great work by the local policing team ensured a swift deployment and subsequent arrest of the thief at the scene. Thanks to the owner using Bike Register, his bike was speedily returned to him. A new D lock has also been presented to him free of charge.

“If bike owners can take anything away from this story, it’s that ensuring you think about crime prevention. Always lock your bike, keep a record of the frame number and other identifying features, and get your bike marked at one of our Bike Marking Events. If it is stolen, it’s easier for us to return it to you.”

Bike owners are advised to register their bikes at www.bikeregister.com to protect them from theft.