A 20-year-old man accused of stealing streetlamps and lanterns across the UK worth £1 million has made his first court appearance.
John O'Sullivan is alleged to have stolen lamps from several counties including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Durham, Thames Valley, Essex and Hertfordshire between January 2025 and June 2025, Stevenage Magistrates' Court heard on Wednesday.
He also faces seven additional counts of theft in Hertfordshire between September 2025 and March 2026. O'Sullivan, from Barkway, Hertfordshire, stood in the dock wearing a green T-shirt and black trousers, and spoke only to confirm his name, address, and date of birth.
Case sent to Crown Court
O'Sullivan gave no indication of plea. District Judge Alan Thorn told the defendant that the allegations were "too serious for me to deal with here", and sent the case to St Albans Crown Court for a hearing on September 2.
O'Sullivan was accompanied to court by his parents Anna O'Sullivan, 66, and Richard O'Sullivan, 67, whom prosecutor Micha O'Neill said are accused alongside their son. They were charged with handling stolen goods and are due to attend their first court hearing at Stevenage Magistrates' Court on August 12, Hertfordshire Police previously said.
Victims include councils and churches
The force also revealed that lamps were allegedly stolen from multiple victims including councils, businesses, churches, schools and private owners. The stolen items included Grade II listed 1950s street lamps, known as Richardson Candles, which were reportedly taken from Cambridge City centre, according to Hertfordshire Police.
O'Sullivan was granted conditional bail, with the stipulation that he must not "touch or interact in any way with a streetlight equipment or lamp unless given permission by the owner".
