Jail for Notts duo who stole NHS workers’ bikes from QMC

David Moran, 35, of Courtleet Way, Bulwell, and Aaron Lancaster, 29, of Camrose Close, Bilborough, were arrested and subsequently charged in connection with the burglary at a secure cycle storage unit at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre on the evening Wednesday, March 25.

An investigation into the burglaries was launched when several reports of bike thefts from the Queen’s Medical Centre staff car park were made to Nottinghamshire Police.

A CCTV media appeal was shared by the force and the suspects were quickly identified, allowing police to take swift action to apprehend the men.

When police moved to arrest the men on the next day, Lancaster assaulted a police officer and resisted arrest.

Moran was also sentenced for assaulting an emergency worker after he threatened to ‘knock out’ officers who moved to arrest him. He also threatened to spit at the officer when he was detained.

They were both sentenced to two years and ten months imprisonment after pleading guilty to all charges as well as further counts of bike theft and burglary with intent to steal when they appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today.

Judge Timothy Spencer QC described the ‘shame’ in the case as ‘palpable’. He added that the men appeared before the court as ‘quite rightly, ashamed’ of their actions.

He added: “At the forefront of the battle against the epidemic is the work of those in the NHS.

“Hour by hour, even minute by minute, those workers put themselves at risk of contracting Covid-19 in order to save the lives of others.

“It would have been very clear to you two that these bike compounds were not access to the general public and were therefore used by employees on the site.”

Chief Superintendent Robert Griffin, Head of Local policing, said: “I’d like to thank the public for their help in identifying Moran and Lancaster. Their crimes are nothing short of deplorable and I am very pleased with today’s result.

“Our colleagues in the NHS are putting themselves at risk every day in the fight against Covid-19 and for them to have had this happen to them is disgusting.

“I’d also like to thank our officers and staff for the good police work which led to finding the men once they had been identified and then gathering the evidence to build a really strong case.

Paul Barber, Security Manager at NUH said: “I would like to thank Nottinghamshire Police for their dedication and support they have shown to our staff following the theft of bikes at one of our hospitals. I would also like to thank the public for their generous offers of support to the staff members involved, to those offering their own bikes as a replacement and to those who helped identify the men who took the bikes.”

Anyone who is a victim of burglary or theft, should contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or in an emergency, dial 999.