Mastermind crook behind organised criminal gang that stole £100,000 worth of bikes using angle grinders during Covid is jailed for more than two years

A criminal mastermind behind an organised gang that stole bikes across the City of London has been jailed.  

Louey Baldwin, 29 from Orpington, and the rest of his criminal gang went on a criminal spree stealing more than £100,000 worth of bikes over a two-year period. 

In August 2020, during the gang’s crime spree, 68 bikes were stolen. In January 2021 once the group had been arrested that dropped to just seven.

Baldwin pleaded guilty to handling the stolen bikes and was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail at Inner London Crown Court. 

Three of Baldwin’s accomplices were also sentenced. Suleyman Akram, 30 from Southwark, was sentenced to two years and six months. While Ryan Boxcer, 32 from Shoeburyness was given a two year suspended sentence and Gavin McKie, 29, from Dartford, was handed a 10 month suspended sentence.

Louey Baldwin, 29 from Orpington, and the rest of his criminal gang went on a criminal spree stealing more than £100,000 worth of bikes over a two-year period. Baldwin pleaded guilty to handling the stolen bikes and was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail at Inner London Crown Court

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Suleyman Akram, 30 from Southwark, was sentenced to two years and six months. 21 bikes were recovered from Akram’s home address

Stolen bikes taken by the criminal gang. Over a two-year period the gang stole over £100,000 worth of bikes  

Video grab of Akram putting a bike in the boot of his car. City of London Police found CCTV footage showing the bike thieves entering the warehouse on a daily basis and some of the defendants were seen on security footage dismantling the bikes

Seven other members of the gang have already been handed prison sentences or suspended sentences.  

Police caught the gang after a bike was stolen in November 2020, and tracked down  to a warehouse in East London.

From the warehouse, City of London Police recovered 57 bikes. Further investigations of CCTV footage showed the bike thieves entering the warehouse on a daily basis and some of the defendants were seen on security footage dismantling the bikes.

Baldwin was seen on the footage handing over angle grinders, a common tool used to steal bikes, to the thieves.

A further 21 bikes were recovered from Akram’s home address and police have so far returned more than 20 of the bikes to their owners.

 Detective Constable Matt Cooper, in the Serious Organised Crime Team at City of London Police, said: ‘The City of London Police has been working tirelessly to catch and bring bike thieves and their handlers to justice, employing technology and innovative techniques to limit their opportunities to commit more criminal activities.

‘Today’s sentencing shows our dedication and work to achieve this outcome.

‘This group stole thousands of pounds worth of bikes, and since their arrests we have had a significant reduction in offences reported as a result of the disruption to the handling mechanism in place for thieves targeting the City offences.’

Since the gang were caught the average number of bikes stolen in the City of London is around 19 bikes a month. Considerable than when the gang was operating.