Brothers sold £100k worth of stolen parts from cycle company

TWO brothers have been sentenced for selling over £100,000 worth of stolen parts and accessories from a leading Northern Ireland bicycle retail outlet.

Brian James Bowen (36), of Oakwood Road, Carrickfergus, was jailed for six months, with a further six months on licence, after he admitted selling more than £88,000 worth of bike parts online over a six-month period from October 2012.

His younger brother Alan Bowen (33), of Sunningdale Crescent in Carrickfergus, was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for selling almost £14,000 of the stolen goods over a four-month period up to August 2013.

Prosecuting counsel Philip Henry told Belfast Crown Court that Chain Reaction Cycles noticed “a significant loss of its stock” from its warehouse in Carrickfergus.

The company discovered that four traders on eBay were selling bicycle parts similar to those it believed to be missing from its stock and a company director decided to do a test purchase.

After the matter was reported to police, Alan Bowen’s finger- prints were found on the bubble wrap of the packaging. Detectives discovered that £88,645 had been deposited via PayPal into the Halifax bank account of Brian Bowen’s mother. Her son later told police that she was acting “under duress” by him who “put her under pressure” to use her account.

Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland heard Alan Bowen also used two trade names on eBay and used his girlfriend’s bank account to have money deposited into it from PayPal.

Brian Bowen’s defence counsel Johnny Brown said he bought the stolen goods at a “car boot sale” and all items were in plain packaging with no barcodes.

Mr Brown added Bowen said that he made a profit of onethird on the £88,645.

Defence barrister Paul Bacon said Alan Bowen told probation he made around £10,000 profit on the £14,000 deposited into his girlfriend’s bank account.

Judge McFarland told the brothers: “I just don’t accept these items were randomly purchased at a car boot sale.

“I don’t know the exact relationship between you and the person who stole the items but it is clear it was a mutually beneficial relationship.”