A MAN has been jailed for his involvement in bike thefts, the barricading of a flat, throwing missiles at police, setting fires, and causing a school to be closed.

Reiss James, 21, was jailed for four years and three months after a sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday (August 6) for several counts of thefts, burglary, and violent disorder offences.

His co-defendants, Vuitton Robbins, 18, known as Tom, and Akay Coaker, 20, were sentenced at the same court on August 4.

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James pleaded guilty to seven thefts to the estimated value of £18,289.98 and five burglaries to the proven value of £3,860. He also admitted violent disorder and criminal damage.

The violent disorder incident occurred on December 8, 2022, at flat 145A on Caversham Road. Police had arrived at the address to arrest the three men for a string of bike and electric bike thefts across Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

However, when police arrived at the flat to arrest these defendants for their involvement at 5.40am, they had to quickly close the road and the E P Collier Primary School shut down for the day due to missiles being thrown from the window.

Two radiators were thrown, one hitting an officer on the head, as well as glass items, plant pots, a kettle, and hot water. Two fires were lit in ‘attempts to ignite the gas meter’ at the entrance of the property.

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It was also an attempt to get officers closer to the property so missiles could be thrown at them.

In terms of the thefts, they were carried out across Reading at Riverside View in Berkeley Avenue, Kingfisher Place, Royal Berkshire Hospital, and Thames Tower in Station Road. Thefts were also carried out in Oxford on Hinkey Road, Penny Farthing Place, Botley Road, Castle Street and more.

Defending James, of Shirley Avenue, Reading, his barrister said: “This is a situation where there’s a young man who wants to change.”

Sentencing, Judge Sarah Campbell said: “Your behaviour represents the anti-social attitudes you have towards the police.

“I accept that at one point you tried to calm Vuitton Robbins down but you did appear to be, at times, his right-hand man.

“I bear in mind your relatively young age at the time. I accept you have had a chaotic life.”

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Robbins, of Amity Street, to five years and six months in a youth offenders’ institution.

Coaker, of Benson Close, was sentenced to 22 months in a youth offenders’ institution.