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24
Jun 2021
Thieves who stole NHS workers' bikes at Harrogate hospital jailed
Two prolific thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes from NHS workers in Harrogate at the height of the covid pandemic have been jailed for a combined eight years.
John Roddy and his partner-in-crime, who cannot be named for legal reasons at this stage, stole the bicycles from outside hospitals in Harrogate and York between May and October last year.
Just under £7,000 of bikes were stolen from 11 victims, many of whom were working flat out for the NHS during the covid crisis, York Crown Court heard.
Most of the thefts occurred outside Harrogate District Hospital when staff were having to deal with huge workloads due to the pandemic, said prosecutor Chris Moran.
Mr Moran said one NHS worker in Harrogate had been so “damaged” by the theft of her £400 bike that she no longer cycled to work.
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Other hospital workers had been left “extremely distressed” by the incidents at a time of national emergency.
Two of the thefts occurred outside York District Hospital, when Roddy and his sidekick, both drug addicts, stole bikes worth over £1,000.
Some of the bikes stolen from Harrogate were worth over £1,000 and had been locked, but the thieves are thought to have used cutting equipment. One of the bikes was valued at £2,000.
Mr Moran said:
12-hour shifts
The Harrogate woman had been working 12-hour shifts and was “emotionally and physically drained” after working flat out for half a day when she found her bike had been stolen from outside the hospital.
Roddy, 24, and his cohort, a 33-year-old man from Leeds, appeared for sentence on Thursday after each pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft.
Roddy’s co-accused was also sentenced for handling thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods in a separate incident in 2018 and another theft in April 2020.
All but nine of the bike thefts occurred at hospitals. Two other bicycles were stolen outside a supermarket and a bakery.
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The court heard that Roddy, from Headingley, Leeds, had nine previous convictions for offences including vehicle and bike thefts and was subject to a court order at the time he targeted the hospitals in Harrogate and York. His partner-in-crime had a worse criminal record, which included “numerous” thefts and burglaries.
Kristian Kavanagh, for Roddy, said his client had battled drug addiction.
Sarah Barlow, for Roddy’s co-defendant, said her client also had a long-standing drug habit.
Judge Simon Hickey said:
He said that “numerous victims” had been highly distressed by the thefts and the woman who had been working 12-hour shifts was now “damaged”.
Roddy, who skipped bail following the offences, was jailed for three years and one month. His co-defendant was jailed for five years.
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