Bike lights raid triggers jail term for repeat thief
MAN ADMITS USING PICKAXE TO TAMPER WITH BIKES
THE theft of lights from bikes chained up outside Huddersfield Leisure Centre cost one offender his liberty when he was jailed for more than two months.
James Friedl was on a suspended sentence when he was caught using a pickaxe to tamper with bikes at the Springwood premises on March 1.
He pleaded guilty to theft when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Prosecutor Vanessa Jones heard that the bizarre incident happened shortly before 8am.
She said: “He was seen trying to break a lock from a pedal cycle outside Huddersfield Leisure Centre.
“The CCT V monitored him and he was seen using a pickaxe head to try and break the chain.”
Police arrived and found the 37-year-old still in possession of the tool.
He also had a bike pump in his possession and lights, which he had removed from some of the bikes.
Magistrates were told that Friedl, of Bow Street in Springwood, had a lengthy record for mainly theftrelated offences.
In November last year he was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, for theft from a motor vehicle.
He appeared at the Huddersfield court via a prison video link after being remanded into custody for the new offence.
Magistrates were told that the lights taken were worth £28 and were returned to the bike owners.
Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, said: “The location of the offence is next to where Mr Friedl lives.
“He was taking a pickaxe, a large item which he has had in the garden for a considerable time, to a friend in Lockwood to sell it for £5.
“I don’t know why he decided to target these bikes but he was seen on CCT V fiddling around in the bike area.
“That triggered a remand into custody.”
Magistrates were told that Friedl used class A drugs for a long time before recently switching to softer drugs such as amphetamines.
Mr Slawinski added that his client suffered a brain injury after falling off a bike as a young child and this ‘affects his thinking process and causes problems reflected in his record, primarily theft from shops.’
He said: “This is why this offence to me makes no sense. There would have been no retail sale value and he puts himself in jeopardy of going to prison.
“He’s trying to keep away from the courts and then goes away and does this ridiculous, stupid offence which bears no pattern to his offending.”
Magistrates jailed Friedl for 10 weeks. He will have to pay £115 victim surcharge upon his release.