Man jailed for stealing police car’s blue lights for ‘bragging rights’

A man who stole the blue lights from the top of a police car for ‘bragging rights’ has been jailed.

British Transport Police said David McBeth, 30, jumped on the roof of one of their vehicles when it was parked outside Sunderland station in December 2018.

He pulled and kicked at the emergency lights, eventually ripped them off and then walked away with them.

McBeth was caught on CCTV with the lights over his shoulder, and they were never recovered.

The damage and the cost of hiring a replacement vehicle was £1,000.

McBeth, of John Street, Sunderland, was charged with theft and appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday March 19, where he pleaded guilty and was jailed for 10 weeks.

Pc Michael Proudfoot, of British Transport Police, said: ‘This was an act of sheer stupidity, he targeted a squad car in clear view of cameras and would not stop until he got hold of the emergency lights.

‘You can only imagine he did this for some nonsense bragging rights.’