Bike thief abandoned his own bike in favour of another

A man who abandoned his own bike to steal another in Orton Malborne has been jailed.

On 9 March, Benjamin Trayford, 31, was caught on CCTV cycling outside Nisa in Eldern, before stopping next to another bike, cutting the lock and cycling away on the stolen bike, abandoning his outside the shop.

Two weeks later, on 23 March, a neighbourhood officer who was patrolling Tesco in Serpentine Green, Hampton, was approached by staff members and made aware that they were monitoring Trayford as he was acting suspiciously.

The officer approached Trayford as he had been identified from the Nisa CCTV footage and arrested him on suspicion of theft of a pedal cycle.

Trayford, of Brudenell, Orton Goldhay, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (25 March), and was sentenced to four weeks in prison after admitting the theft. He has also been ordered to pay £250 in compensation to the victim.

PC Jen Jenkins, who investigated, said: “This was a moment of opportunity for Trayford, and he didn’t think twice before committing the offence.

“Bikes are extremely important for cyclists as they are often their main form of transport, and therefore I would like to encourage cyclists to look into the best ways to protect their bikes when it comes to leaving them.”

Advice on how to protect your bike from theft can be found on the force’s dedicated webpages.