Bungling bike thief stole officer's cycle during police gathering in Leeds city centre
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Christopher Hall, who has a long history of stealing bicycles, used bolt croppers to cut through the lock of the £400 bike while it was parked up near Trinity Leeds on March 4.
Leeds Crown Court heard that the 39-year-old was then spotted on Fish Street discarding items from the bags on the bike and he was
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Hide Ad;quickly detained by police. He was carrying his own bag that contained the bolt croppers. He also had a small quantity of cannabis on him.
Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds, he admitted theft of the bicycle, going equipped for theft and possession of a class B drug. He was also in breach in of a six-month suspended sentence he received for a non-dwelling burglary in October last year.
![Hall stole the bicycle from outside Trinity Leeds as the officer attended a police gathering. (pics by National World)](https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/03/29/9/43/Hall.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65)
![Hall stole the bicycle from outside Trinity Leeds as the officer attended a police gathering. (pics by National World)](/img/placeholder.png)
Prosecutor Amy Levitt said Hall, of Holdforth Close, New Wortley, has 37 previous convictions for 64 offences, including 35 for theft and many for stealing bicycles.
Mitigating, Laurence Dilworth said: "He has a long-standing issue with substance misuse but he accepts it's no justification for these offences."
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Hide AdHe said his partner suffered a miscarriage and "in his own words, lost his head". He said Hall also defaulted on his anti-psychotic medication and "returned to his old coping strategies of spice and crack cocaine".
Hall suffers from a personality disorder, psychosis, anxiety and depression.
Judge Kate Rayfield told Hall: "Being addicted to drugs has ruined your life, but the offences you commit ruin other people's lives. There must come a time when there's a custodial sentence."
She activated the six months of the non-burglary conviction, and an additional six months for latest offences, totalling 12 months.