A thief who stole an electric bicycle from the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police and rode away on it has been handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to theft.

Kieran Carolan, aged 34 and from Lonsight, entered the rear of the premises at Central Park police station via a fence, reports the Manchester Evening News.

He was accompanied by another man and the pair each took an electric bikes from a dedicated cycle parking area.

They hid behind a lorry and were spotted by a detective, who alerted colleagues to their presence, but Carolan and his accomplice made off on the e-bikes.

Roger Brown, prosecuting, said that the pair “went towards the custody suite, to the side of that was the pedal station, where a number of bikes were kept.

“The two pushed an e-bike each to the other side of the car park and hid behind a lorry with the bikes.

“By this time, they were seen by a detective who alerted those in the police station.”

Carolan was arrested and released on bail after pleading guilty to theft, but several days later he was apprehended following a break in at a commercial premises, and is due to stand trial on charges of burglary and going equipped to burgle.

In connection with the theft of the e-bike, which happened on 2 August this year, he was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and was also ordered to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work and to attend a 12-month drug rehabilitation programme as well as a thinking skills rehabilitation programme.