E-bike thief targeted the same Launceston store three times in two weeks

A man stole multiple electric bikes with thousands of dollars each during repeated burglaries of the same store.

Legalities of tying the knot.

A BIKE and bourbon thief who repeatedly targeted shops around Launceston stealing e-bikes worth thousands of dollars each has pleaded guilty to 23 charges.

Mark Ronald Campbell, 46, appeared in Launceston Magistrates Court on Monday to enter pleas on the stealing and dishonesty charges before Magistrate Simon Brown.

The court heard that Campbell jimmied open a locked door at Roll Cycles on Cimitiere St at 11.51pm on February 7 and stole two specialised electric bicycles worth $9900 in total.

Less than a week later, on February 13, he returned to the same store, jimmied open a side door, cut through a lock system with an angle grinder and took another bike worth thousands of dollars.

Six days later he was back at Roll Cycles and forced open a door.

CCTV showed that as he was looking over a row of electric bikes, the door shut behind him, locking him inside.

He selected a bike but was unable to escape due to upgraded security until he used an angle grinder to cut through a chain and escaped through a fire escape.

All three incidents were caught on CCTV.

On February 14, Campbell stole a $6500 e-bike from the Cycology store on York St.

He stole mountain bikes from various other locations around Launceston including several left outside businesses.

On one occasion he made off with a mountain bike worth $11,000.

Campbell also targeted Dan Murphy’s in Launceston on five occasions, stealing hundreds of dollars worth of whisky, bourbon and cognac.

His lawyer Isabelle Patch said he had struggled with substance abuse from a young age, first using amphetamine when he was 16 and first using it intravenously at 18.

She submitted that Magistrate Brown make an order to assess Campbell’s eligibility for a Drug Treatment Order.

Magistrate Brown ordered the report and adjourned the matters for plea mitigation and sentence on May 18.