Serial bike thief busted on Gumtree, sentenced to prison
The Kallangur man targeted the Westfield North Lakes and the Strathpine train station where he used bolt cutters to take several expensive bikes before reselling on Gumtree.
North Lakes Times
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A 31-year-old Kallangur man who targeted shopping centre car parks to steal high-end bicycles was sentenced to prison at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Joshua James Ready appeared via videolink from the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre to plead guilty to nine charges, including stealing, entering premises with the intention to commit a crime, possession of a knife in a public place and receiving tainted property.
The court heard Ready’s first victim reported her brand new bike missing from the Westfield North Lakes on September 24.
According to police prosecutor sergeant Graham Turner, CCTV footage showed a man walking into the car park and using bolt cutters to remove the bike lock.
Two days later the woman saw her bike for sale on Gumtree and made arrangements to meet with the seller, under the guise of purchasing it.
The woman called police to meet the seller, who was identified Ready, at the Caltex Service Station at Lawnton.
Officers questioned Ready, who told them he’d bought the bike from a friend at the pub for $550, a perplexing amount given Ready had listed the item on Gumtree for $500.
The second victim was a man who reported his silver bike stolen from a secure car park on Railway Tce at Milton on October 1.
CCTV footage showed a man and a woman entering the car park hours earlier.
The man, who police identified as Ready, was seen using bolt cutters to unlock the bike while the woman, who was not named, “appeared to stand watch”.
Police attended Ready’s home in Kallangur shortly after, where they found him wearing the same clothes as seen on the CCTV footage.
The third victim secured his $1000 custom made orange mountain bike at the Strathpine train station at 9am on December 11.
Two hours later, CCTV footage showed Ready using his boltcutters to unlock the bike chain and promptly riding off with it.
The bike was never recovered.
Ready returned to the Westfield North Lakes on December 23 where, just days before Christmas, he took a woman’s bike chained up outside the Ikea.
The bike was listed on Gumtree, where the victim identified it and notified police, who were able to return the missing item.
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Over the course of the stealing spree Ready was serving a suspended prison sentence for similar offences, failed to appear at court on multiple occasions and twice breached his bail conditions.
A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was finally caught at the Petrie train station on January 22.
Defence lawyer Andrew Ferrett of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service told the court Ready became addicted to methamphetamines during his time off as a FIFO cook for mine workers.
Magistrate Trevor Morgan sentenced him to nine months imprisonment for the stealing, enter premises and receiving tainted property, one month imprisonment for failing to appear at court and chose to convict and not further punish for the remainder.
As Ready has already been in custody for 20 days, he will be eligible for parole on April 9.
He will not be required to pay restitution for the $1000 bike that was never recovered.
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