Pair stole high value bikes in Cheshire and Merseyside
CCTV images at train stations identified thieves
Total value of stolen bikes was near £10,000
A man, who worked as part of two man crime team to steal 15 bikes over a six week period from rail stations in Cheshire and Merseyside, has been jailed for seven months following a British Transport Police investigation.



Dale Murphy, aged 22, of Withington Road, Liverpool, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, 18 May, after pleading guilty to stealing 15 bikes along with Neil Gandy, also 22, of East Millwood Road, Liverpool.



The court heard how between 20 February and 10 April last year, Murphy, and his partner in crime Gandy, operated in the Cheshire and Merseyside area, repeatedly targeting rail stations at Widnes, Hunts Cross, Warrington Bank Quay, Warrington Central and Liverpool South Parkway as well as committing additional bike thefts in Warrington town centre and the Speke area.



Over the course of six weeks, between them Murphy and Gandy stole high value bikes, totalling almost £10,000, in some cases abandoning them at stations if a more expensive model caught their eye, then using the rail network to transport the stolen property.



CCTV images from the stations identified Murphy and Gandy as the thieves and mobile phone data placed them at the locations of the thefts.



Subsequent searches of Murphy and Gandy’s home addresses revealed numerous bike parts.



Both pleaded guilty to 15 bike thefts. Dale Murphy was sentenced to seven months in jail and Gandy received a seven month suspended sentence for two years with a 35 day rehabilitation order along with a three month curfew.





Investigating officer PC Ray Williams said: “Indisputable CCTV evidence tied Murphy and Gandy to the scene of their crimes and thankfully put an end to their crime spree. The pair clearly saw the bikes as an easy target and stole high value cycles totalling approximately £10,000, most of which were successfully recovered and returned to their owners.

“Given the amount of bike parts found at their homes we can only assume that the pair had been stripping some of the bikes in a bid to disguise others they had stolen.

“While Murphy is behind bars and Gandy received a suspended sentence, opportunist bike thieves are still out there and we would remind cyclists to always ensure their bikes are well secured in designated areas when leaving them at stations. If you have saved to buy an expensive model then it’s worth investing in a top notch lock to prevent it being stolen.”