A teenage thief has been handed 50 hours’ community service and ordered to pay £550 compensation after stealing a bicycle at Hankley Common, committing fraud and possessing a knife during the first Covid lockdown.

The 18-year-old from Bramley – who cannot be named because he was aged just 16 at the time of the offence – stole a Carrera bicycle and a bag worth £250 at Hankley on May 14, 2020.

He also committed fraud by claiming to be the authorised user of a Go Henry debit card in Elstead on the same day, with the intention of making a gain of £8.03 for himself, and was found in possession of an offensive weapon – a flick knife – in a public place “without lawful authority or reasonable excuse”.

The teen thief denied all charges on March 23, 2022, but was found guilty at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on November 4, 2022.

At his sentencing on January 25 at the same court, magistrates handed him a community order requiring him to undertake a rehabilitation activity as well as 50 hours’ unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay a total of £550 compensation as well as £200 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The teen thief was, however, spared an additional surcharge to fund victim services because of his “lack of means” and compensation being given priority.

In the UK, under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, and the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, the names of people aged under 18 at the time of their offence cannot be published in the media.

This is to protect their identity and prevent potential harm to their future. This applies to all types of media, including newspapers, television and online platforms.