Brothers on curfew for bike thefts in Blackburn
7:00pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News
TWO teenage brothers acted in tandem as they went on a bicycle-stealing spree.
Blackburn magistrates heard Jake Walsh used bolt croppers to cut chains on bikes left outside the Royal Blackburn Hospital and in the Mason Street area of Blackburn and his brother, Ashley, rode off on the machines.
And the court was told that during two months, 14 bikes with a combined value of around £5,000 were stolen by the brothers.
Ashley Walsh, 19, of Ellenshaw Close, Darwen, and Jake Walsh, 18, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, both pleaded guilty to three specimen charges of theft of pedal cycles.
Ashley asked for six offences to be taken into consideration and Jake asked for 10 offences to be taken into consideration.
Jake also pleaded guilty to theft of a moped and unacceptable behaviour on the railway. They were both made subject to community supervision for 12 months and ordered to pay £145 costs.
Ashley was made subject to a 7pm to 6am curfew for three months and Jake to a four-month curfew between the same times.
Sgt Jon Cisco said: “The pair stole a number of expensive bicycles in September and October. This is a good result which will allow us to keep track of their movements whilst allowing people some much needed respite from their criminal behaviour.”
