Islington man sentenced after spate of motorbike and bike thefts
David Curtis has been sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court. - Credit: Met Police
An Islington bike and motorbike thief has been sentenced to a year in jail.
David Curtis, of Holloway Road, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on January 22 after pleading guilty to three counts of theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped and handling stolen goods at the same court on August 7 last year.
Curtis had also breached a suspended sentence and was given three months in jail to run consecutively.
The 20-year-old initially came to the police's attention in March last year, but on April 2, Curtis and another man, Alfie Bruynel, were seen loading a stolen Ducati motorcycle worth £8,000 into a van.
Alfie Bruynel. - Credit: Met Police
On April 13, a Piaggio Vespa was stolen from Steele Road and located by police who arranged recovery. After officers had left, the recovery driver was approached by Bruynel and Curtis who threatened him and re-stole the moped, which was recovered again shortly afterwards by police.
Curtis was identified on CCTV on October 7 as one of two men who stole a Brompton pedal cycle in Goswell Road by cutting the lock off, and was stopped with another man on November 25 with an angle grinder and hammer and riding a stolen BMW 1200GS motorbike worth £14,000.
Curtis and Bruynel were arrested by Venice Investigation officers on May 22 after a £10,000 Yamaha TMAX was stolen from Farringdon Road.
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Bruynel, 20, of Pickering Gardens, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 18 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court on January 5.
He had pleaded guilty at the court on August 7 last year to aggravated vehicle taking, no insurance, disqualified driving, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, handling stolen goods and possession of a class B drug (cannabis).
PC Kate Dennell, the investigating officer from the Venice Investigation team, said: “This is an excellent result that puts two criminals behind bars. Both have committed multiple crimes over a period of months and this kind of behaviour has no place on our streets.
“The effects of becoming a victim of theft often last far beyond the replacement of the stolen items. I hope both of these men use this time to realise the impact that their crimes have on the people of London."
Anyone with information about crime should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
