Bungling bike thief stole officer's cycle during police gathering in Leeds city centre

Christopher Hall, who has a long history of stealing bicycles, used bolt croppers to cut through the lock of the £400 bike while it was parked up near Trinity Leeds on March 4.

Leeds Crown Court heard that the 39-year-old was then spotted on Fish Street discarding items from the bags on the bike and he was

;quickly detained by police. He was carrying his own bag that contained the bolt croppers. He also had a small quantity of cannabis on him.

Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds, he admitted theft of the bicycle, going equipped for theft and possession of a class B drug. He was also in breach in of a six-month suspended sentence he received for a non-dwelling burglary in October last year.

Prosecutor Amy Levitt said Hall, of Holdforth Close, New Wortley, has 37 previous convictions for 64 offences, including 35 for theft and many for stealing bicycles.

Mitigating, Laurence Dilworth said: "He has a long-standing issue with substance misuse but he accepts it's no justification for these offences."

He said his partner suffered a miscarriage and "in his own words, lost his head". He said Hall also defaulted on his anti-psychotic medication and "returned to his old coping strategies of spice and crack cocaine".

Hall suffers from a personality disorder, psychosis, anxiety and depression.

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Judge Kate Rayfield told Hall: "Being addicted to drugs has ruined your life, but the offences you commit ruin other people's lives. There must come a time when there's a custodial sentence."

She activated the six months of the non-burglary conviction, and an additional six months for latest offences, totalling 12 months.