Court extends CBO and jails prolific bike thief

A prolific thief has been jailed after he was caught on CCTV stealing a bike.

CCTV operators in Cambridge captured John Bruce Miller as he forced a bike from the railings it was attached to in Sidney Street and dispose the broken lock in a nearby bin at about 2.50am on Monday (16 May).

Officers caught up with Miller and retrieved the bike and lock.

At Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (17 May), Miller, 38, of New Street, pleaded guilty to bike theft and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) that he was given in April last year (2021) not to:

Be in possession of any pedal cycle or any cycle part without a verifiable receipt.

Be in possession of any item that can be used to steal a pedal cycle in a public place.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and his CBO was extended by a further two years.

Inspector Ed McNeill said: “Miller is a prolific bike thief in Cambridge with numerous convictions against his name for cycle theft.

“We’re working hard to address cycle crime in Cambridge. This includes reviewing and identifying bike-theft hotspots, catching offenders, recovering stolen bikes with proactive patrols and education.

“All reports of bike theft are taken seriously and we would encourage people to report offences so we can build up a picture and deploy resources accordingly.”