Man jailed for luggage theft spree on trains

A THIEF has been jailed for almost four years after admitting stealing luggage worth £30,000 from trains during a two-month spree, a court heard.

Christopher Stewart, 32, from Wakefield, West Yorks, frequently boarded trains without suitcases before alighting after a couple of stops with bags left by passengers in storage.

He was caught after plain clothes officers were deployed to services between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds following a spate of thefts between September and November last year.

The 32-year-old was jailed for almost four years at Leeds Crown Court last week after he admitted 13 thefts on the railways.

Police watched Stewart board a train without any bags and go to pick up a suitcase at the next stop, which he admitted was not his when challenged.

When he was arrested, he was wearing a £500 designer coat, which he had stolen from a suitcase on a previous journey. It is believed he sold a large amount of his haul online.

Stewart appeared before Leeds Crown Court last week when he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of theft – taking another 23 offences on trains into consideration – and was sentenced to five and a half years, reduced to 44 months in consideration of his guilty plea.

The court heard that a search of Stewart’s home found a variety of his victims’ possessions including an electronic tablet, an electric toothbrush, hair straighteners and jewellery.

In his police interview, Stewart admitted his actions were “100 per cent dishonest”. Det Con Tony Mcgibbon, from the British Transport Police, said: “I am pleased we were able to bring Stewart to justice and that his custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending.

“He had total disregard for his victims and their property. I hope this sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who may consider similar behaviour – we will find you and we will bring you before the courts.”