Man sentenced following string of bike thefts in Guildford

A man has been sentenced to 10 months behind bars for a series of bike thefts across Guildford.

Marti Shearman, 30, of no fixed address was arrested on Saturday (1 August), in Guildford after being caught on CCTV stealing a bike. Further investigation connected him to several other bike thefts and shoplifting offences in Guildford over the past few months.

The Neighbourhood Team in Guildford then worked hard to gather the evidence needed to charge Shearman. He was charged with six counts of theft, including four bike thefts and two incidents of shoplifting. He appeared in court on Monday (3 August), where he pleaded guilty to all offences.

He was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment in total, including eight months for the offences charged and two months for failing to comply with a community order.

Detective Constable Matthew Evans said “This is a great result for the team who worked extremely hard to find out who was responsible and bring them to justice. The background work that went into reviewing the CCTV, linking Shearman to the crimes and orchestrating his arrest, was extensive and we hope that this reassures the local community that we do take these offences seriously and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”