Ban for 'persistent and professional' bike thief

Burak Iscioglu, 39, was described as a 'persistent and professional' bike thief

A "persistent and professional" bike thief who repeatedly travelled to Cambridge to carry out his crimes has been jailed and banned from the city.

Burak Iscioglu, 39, was sentenced to four years and five months in prison and prevented from entering Cambridge for 10 years.

Judge Philip Grey, sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court, said Iscioglu "fed as a parasite on those who live and work in the city".

Iscioglu pleaded guilty to 15 offences including bike theft, parcel theft and repeatedly breaching a community behaviour order (CBO).

He was banned from possessing a bike or bike parts and wire cutters, as well as from entering bike storage areas and railway stations unless catching the next available train.

Judge Grey said Iscioglu travelled from his address in Bethnal Green, London to Cambridge on multiple occasions to steal bikes.

He identified the city as a "profitable source of income" where "he knows it's easy" to take them as there are so many, some of which are unsecured, the judge added.

He said stealing bikes in Cambridge was "equivalent to stealing the car of someone in an isolated rural location" because residents rely on them.

'Plague of bike thefts'

His actions contributed to a "plague of bike thefts" in the city, the judge said, which resulted in a "general feeling of being unsafe" among residents that could "deter people from using bikes".

Judge Grey highlighted the "emotional distress" of one particular victim who had saved up "for some months" to buy a £1,499 e-bike to improve her mobility.

He dismissed the suggestion Iscioglu had been motivated by drug and alcohol addiction and regretted his actions, saying he displayed "all the hallmarks of a professional thief" who put "significant planning" into his crimes.

His 22 previous convictions and CBO meant he had had many chances to rectify his behaviour, Judge Grey said, adding that there was "no doubt" Iscioglu had "offered the same suggestions of remorse to other judges and magistrates" at previous hearings.

Iscioglu must serve up to half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.