Jail for Peterborough thief who is banned from touching other people's cars

A convicted Peterborough thief who is banned from touching other people’s cars has been jailed – after he was caught on CCTV trying car door handles.

In the early hours of 29 January this year, CCTV operators contacted police after spotting Sebastian Hart, 43, trying car door handles in Century Square, Millfield in the early hours of the morning.

This is in breach of the five-year CBO he was made subject of in July 2022, which states that he must not touch any vehicle that doesn’t belong to him in Peterborough without the owner’s permission.

Officers were deployed and arrested Hart on suspicion of breaching the court order, however he was further arrested after he was found to be in possession of a screwdriver, wrench, scissors, torch, and a screw, as well as £70 in cash, two mobile phones, and a pair of earrings.

He was later charged with going equipped for theft, breach of a CBO, possession of criminal property, and attempted burglary after he was forensically linked to an attempted break-in of a greenhouse in Glebe Road, Stanground, in December.

Hart, of Cromwell Road, West Town, admitted all offences and appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (6 March), where he was sentenced to 25-weeks in prison. The sentence includes the reactivation of two previously suspended sentences for similar offences.

Detective Constable Shauna Dwyer, from Cambridgeshire Police, who investigated welcomed the sentence handed out by the court. DC Dwyer said: “Opportunistic individuals such as Hart will try their luck in the hope that just one vehicle will be unlocked and available for them to enter.

“Having the CBO in place means we have greater powers when it comes to Hart’s offending, if he is ever found to be in breach of the order, we are able to arrest him and put him before the courts.”

Information on how to protect your car from theft can be found on the force’s dedicated webpages at https://www.cambs.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/how-safe-is-your-bike/