Pair of thieves stole motorbikes worth £200,000 from streets across London

Stolen: an MV Augusta 750 motorcycle
Metropolitan Police
Hannah Al-Othman4 January 2016
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Two men who stole almost £200,000 worth of mopeds and motorcycles from across the capital have been jailed.

Between April and June 2014, 18-year-old Lufti Guney and Paul O'Farrell, 23, stole more than 20 vehicles from streets in Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Southwark and the City of London.

The pair stole motorbikes including a rare MV Augusta 750 motorcycle, worth £45,000, which was taken from an underground car park in Chelsea.

They cut through two heavy-duty security chains in order to steal the motorbike, which was one of only 300 that were ever made in Italy.

Jailed: Lufti Guney
Metropolitan Police

It is thought that the mopeds and motorcycles, which between them had an estimated value of £180,000, have all since been broken up or shipped abroad.

The pair were charged in November 2014 after the Met's London Crime Squad launched an investigation and covert operation to catch the perpetrators, after they identified that numerous thefts were being carried out across London using the same method.

Detective Sergeant Richard Evans of the London Crime Squad, said: "Guney and O'Farrell drove around London on stolen mopeds and with a stolen van, looking for high-value motorcycles.

"When they found one they liked, they used hammers, screwdrivers and crow bars to cut off steering locks, padlocks and chains. They then pushed the bikes into the stolen van and drove off."

Prison: Paul O'Farrell
Metropolitan Police

Guney, of Dunkin House, Rennie Estate, Southwark pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft on July 6 last year, and O'Farrell, of Brideale Close, Southwark initially claimed he was innocent, but pleaded guilty at the start of his trial on November 30.

The pair were jailed on Monday at Southwark Crown Court, with O'Farrell sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, reduced by 145 days due to bail conditions imposed at the beginning of criminal proceedings.

Guney was jailed for 10 months, reduced by 148 days due to bail conditions imposed at the beginning of criminal proceedings.

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