When the long arm of the law finally caught up to bike thief Daniel Westrop, it....slapped him gently on the wrist and said “You naughty boy! You’ve been very bad. Now go sit on that comfortable armchair and think about what you’ve done!”
Westrop, 27, had been stealing scores of expensive mountain bikes from stations in the heart of commutersville, mainly targeting Walton on Thames, West Byfleet, Brookwood and Surbiton. Though only charged with ten counts of theft, he had 93 other offences taken into account. The result? A five month suspended sentence, an ASBO, a ban on travelling on certain parts of the rail network for five years (which will be enforced how, exactly?), 100 hours of community service (may we suggest roughing up pub punters who refuse to respect the new smoking ban?) and an order to pay £2,800 in compensation to his victims. The judge also ordered that he pet at least five puppies a day and implored him to ‘play nicely’. Not really, but we wouldn’t be surprised.
Detective Sergeant Sarah White from the British Transport Police said:
"Westrop was prolific in terms of his crimes, often taking two or three bikes at one time."
"The fact that he has been handed an ASBO preventing him from travelling on the parts of the network that he targeted most is very reassuring given the distress and misery he caused to many commuters who had their property taken."
Yeah, that’ll teach him! Surely he will abide by all the conditions and small print of his ASBO, seeing as thieves are such considerate, upstanding citizens. He could even use it to get into cultural attractions for free. If they’re not used for gaining entry to events which cost normal people upwards of ten quid, what else are they good for? No, we couldn’t think of anything either.
Photo from detritus's Flickrstream
