General · 28 July 2026
Man, 20, charged with stealing £1m of streetlamps across six UK counties
Smb1001 via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
John O'Sullivan is accused of 45 thefts after councils, schools and churches lost valuable lighting, including historic 1950s fixtures taken from Cambridge. Hertfordshire Police say the crimes took place over six months until March this year, hitting regions from Durham down to Essex. He will face Stevenage magistrates on 5 August, while a 66-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man are accused of handling the items.
Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs