Prolific Peterborough ‘one man crime wave’ back behind bars after being caught committing crime in city again

Paul Priestley, 41, was arrested on 12 May and later admitted charges of interfering with a vehicle with intention of theft and two counts of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), specifically failing to adhere to a doorstep curfew.

An electronic ‘buddi’ tag worn by Priestley, who is subject of a curfew between the hours of 11pm and 6am, showed him in areas outside of his home address on two occasions between about 3am and 4am.

The tag also placed him at the scene of a reported attempted theft from a vehicle in Swan Gardens, Parnwell, on 7 May.

He had been released from prison on 9 April after serving part of a 14-month sentence for breaching a CBO and vehicle interference.

As a result of his significant offending history in relation to theft and vehicle crime, the CBO had been applied for by police and granted by magistrates in 2018 as a means to try to curb Priestley’s offending.

Priestley has previously been described as ‘a one man crime wave’ and has spent much of the last decade in and out of prison after admitting hundreds of crimes in Peterborough

MORE: Priestley’s dreadful criminal past

The order, which remains in place for five years, stated Priestly is prohibited from touching or entering any unattended vehicle without the express permission of the owner. An addition to this order was made in April this year which gave Priestly a curfew between 11pm and 6am.

DCI Neil Sloan said: “Failure to comply with the order is a criminal offence and will result in arrest, therefore giving individuals who want to turn their life around an incentive to take up the support and intervention provided by police and partner agencies.”

The order was put in place following offending by Priestly in September 2017, for breaching an existing CBO and a number of thefts from vehicles in the Hampton and Orton areas of Peterborough. Whilst in prison he admitted committing a further 170 thefts from vehicles.

DCI Sloan added: “Priestly is a prolific offender in the Peterborough area who continues to offend, despite best efforts of ourselves and partner agencies to work with him to transform his ways.

“Here at Cambridgeshire Constabulary we have an Integrated Offender Management (IOM) team whose job is to monitor prolific and high harm offenders when they are released into the community. This includes working closely with probation services, monitoring things like electronic tags, curfews and any conditions imposed upon them such as CBOs.

“For as long as Priestley continues to offend, we will continue to put him back before the courts.”

Today (Tuesday 9 June), Priestley, of Scalford Drive, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court and was sentenced to 18 months in prison and must pay a victim surcharge of £149.