A homeless man admitted handling some 40 stolen cycles worth £31,000 from in and around Bristol. Lewis Collins operated from his city centre tent offering stolen bikes worth £150 to £2,500, Bristol Crown Court heard.
But he was brought to justice when an owner who spotted his bike for sale liaised with police to catch Collins in a sting. The 27-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted 20 charges of handling stolen goods and asked for 19 similar charges to be considered.
Judge Michael Cullum jailed him for 20 months. He told Collins: "You were running a business. You continued to offend after you were arrested.
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Matthew Jackson, prosecuting, said between 2021 and this year cycles were stolen from communal areas around Bristol. These included Bristol Temple Meads, gyms and bike parks as well as from homes.
Mr Jackson told the court: "The pedal cycles were then offered by the defendant on Facebook, WhatsApp or other social media, at generally significant lower value. 267 photographs of pedal cycles were found on his device."
The court heard Collins was arrested and bailed, but offended again while on bail. Ultimately he was caught in a sting after a bike owner noticed his bike being offered for sale.
Mr Jackson told the court some people had expensive bikes stolen. For other people the theft of their bikes caused transport issues, including a nurse unable to undertake community activity and students left stranded.
James McKenna, defending, said: "This is not a sophisticated offender. This was not professional whatsoever.
"He was living in a tent in Bristol city centre for two years. He had a stolen bike outside of his tent. This is far from professional. There was no locker where bikes were stored, it was an unsophisticated operation. Bikes were stolen, their photo was taken and sent via his WhatsApp or Facebook account."
Mr McKenna said at the time his client was taking too much cannabis and had mixed with peers more criminally sophisticated than him. He said Collins had 'acted foolishly' to generate quick money to cover both his living expenses and his debt to drug dealers.
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