Undercover police spotted Blackburn man raiding empty bus (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Undercover police spotted Blackburn man raiding empty bus
4:00pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News
A 32-YEAR-OLD man who climbed on to an unmanned bus claimed he was looking for a timetable.
Blackburn magistrates heard Michael Harries was arrested by police officers who were on covert observations in a nearby building regarding a totally different matter. Michael Harries’ story was described in court as a “ludicrous”.
District Judge Peter Ward said: “You spotted a chance to get on this bus and see if there was anything to steal.
“The bus information office was just a few yards away and it was still open and if you had wanted a timetable you could have gone in there for one.”
Harries, of Swift Close, Blackburn, pleaded not guilty to vehicle interference but was convicted after a trial.
He was made subject to community supervision for nine months with a drug rehabilitation requirement.
The court heard that as he passed the bus in Street he the emergency button and the doors opened.
He boarded the bus and the officers in a nearby building saw him rooting in the driver’s area.
Damian Pickup, defending, said his client’s explanation was unusual but one he was adamant was the truth.
