A Cambridgeshire man with a notorious record for theft and burglary has been jailed again—this time for stealing e-scooters from a university bike store, just months after completing a prison sentence for a burglary rampage across the city.
Robert Rust, 37, tricked a student into letting him into the Stephenson Building on 7 March, where he made off with two e-scooters and a charger. He was arrested later that month and sentenced at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court to six months in prison and £370 in compensation.
But this isn’t Rust’s first run-in with the law. In 2024, he was sentenced to 23 months in prison after committing a spree of burglaries that targeted major retailers and independent businesses across Cambridge.
From Tools to Scooters: A Pattern of Persistent Theft
Rust’s criminal trail last year began at B&Q on 2 March, where he stole power tools. Days later, he hit Addenbrooke’s Hospital, stealing a £300 e-scooter from the staff bike shed. His crime spree included thefts from Tesco in Chesterton, the Co-Op on Milton Road, The Red Mug café, and Lewis Barbershop—often leaving behind DNA evidence at the scene.
He was finally caught in the act at Nisa on Green End Road on 11 April 2024, when a brave shopworker called police. At the time, PC Samantha Chapman called Rust:
“a prolific thief and burglar with 55 convictions for 125 offences.”
Fast forward to 2025, and Rust has returned to old habits—once again targeting Cambridge’s thriving e-scooter scene. PC Mahir Ahmed, who handled the latest investigation, said: “Rust persuaded a student to let him into somewhere he shouldn’t have had access to. He will now spend time behind bars, and we will continue to take thieves off the streets of Cambridge.”
As Cambridge continues to grapple with rising e-scooter and retail theft, Rust’s repeat offences highlight the city’s ongoing battle to protect public and private property.
