An 18-year-old has been sentenced after being caught carrying a machete and a large quantity of cannabis.
Keaon O’Brien, of Hanbury Road, Park South, was spotted riding a Surron electric motorbike at dangerous speeds through Swindon town centre during the busy Christmas shopping period. Officers tracked him to a shop in Havelock Street, where he was detained without incident by Swindon’s neighbourhood policing team.
Upon searching O’Brien, officers discovered a machete concealed down his trousers and approximately 500 grams of cannabis in his backpack. He was promptly arrested and later charged with a catalogue of offences including possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession of a machete, careless driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, and riding without a helmet.
O’Brien pleaded guilty to all charges at Swindon Magistrates’ Court. During sentencing today, he received a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, alongside an order to complete rehabilitation requirement days. Police confirmed the seized drugs, weapon, and e-bike have since been destroyed.
Neighbourhood PC David Thompson, who led the investigation, highlighted the risks O’Brien posed: “O’Brien was riding an illegal e-bike at high speed through Swindon, endangering Christmas shoppers. He had already been stopped two months earlier on another illegally adapted e-bike described as a ‘death trap’, with a battery and wires crudely fastened to the frame. On that occasion, he was also found with drugs and evidence of dealing.”
PC Thompson added: “There can be no excuse for this sort of behaviour. We fully appreciate public concerns about youths on illegal e-bikes, which are often modified to travel dangerously fast. Under Operation Jetsom, Wiltshire Police will continue to clamp down on illegal e-bikes and drug dealing to keep our communities safe.”
