‘Brazen’ theft of judge’s GS foiled
Pair sentenced for attempt to steal BMW from court car park
ASSISTANT EDITOR, MOTORCYCLING
An audacious pair of would-be bike thieves have been sentenced after attempting to steal a judge’s £15,000 BMW GS Adventure from the car park at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Shay Hollis, 18, of Harrow Drive, Enfield and Deon-Dre Rogers-Barrett, 19, of Ashdown Road, Enfield rode into the grounds of the court in broad daylight on April 16, 2021 and began trying to steal the BMW R1250GS Adventure TE Rally.
A security guard approached but fled back inside the building after Hollis threatened him with a machete and the pair began to try to push the bike away. Unfortunately for the thieves, staff had managed to close the car park gates and they found themselves trapped.
In a bid to get away, Hollis and Rogers-Barrett abandoned the GS as well as their own mopeds, helmets, the machete and an angle grinder before climbing a fence and fleeing on foot.
“This is a fine example of good police work from our team, using skills and resources from across the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) to bring two offenders to justice,” said PC Ian Croxford, from the Met’s Operation Venice.
“They were intent on stealing a valuable motorcycle in an attempt that can only be described as brazen and audacious. To ride into the grounds of a Crown Court and try this shows a flagrant disregard for the law. That the brave security staff who challenged them were threatened with a machete shows they were not afraid to use violence to get what they wanted.”
Rogers-Barrett was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months, 25 days rehabilitation activity and a three-month curfew monitored by electronic tag. Hollis was sentenced to an 18 month supervision order and ordered to carry out 12 hours of unpaid work. Both have also been ordered to pay £500 compensation to the victim.
‘They were not afraid to use violence’
PC IAN CROXFORD