Crime
Mystery of why man slashed 42 bike tyres across Cambridge city centre
A judge decided a man who punctured 42 bike tyres across Cambridge did not meet the threshold for being locked up.
Instead, the judge at Peterborough Crown Court imposed a 12-month community order of Ife Bellow, 29, of no fixed address.
Bellow used a pair of scissors to puncture 42 bike tyres in quick succession in Cambridge.
He was spotted on council CCTV at about 2am on 18 October last year.
Operators witnessed him stab bike tyres across the city, starting in Drummer Street and finishing in Guildhall Street and Guildhall Place where he was arrested.
CCTV operators had seen Bellow discard the scissors in a bin and they were recovered.
Bellow later pleaded guilty to the 42 counts of attempted criminal damage, along with counts of assault, threatening behaviour, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and theft from a shop, relating to other incidents.
He was handed a 12-month community order at Peterborough Crown Court last week (25 August).
PC Jack Burgess said: “To this day we still have no explanation for Bellow’s reckless and mindless actions.
“He caused great inconvenience and expense to his victims and has showed himself to be a violent criminal in other areas too I am glad we were able to bring him before the courts.”
SENTENCING EXPLAINED
If an offender is found guilty of a crime that does not meet the threshold for a custodial sentence, a judge or a magistrate can pass a community order (also known as a community sentence).
When a community order (CO) is passed, the offence must be considered ‘serious enough’ to justify the imposition of a community order; otherwise, a lesser penalty (such as a fine or a conditional / absolute discharge) is likely to be imposed.
