Appeal for return of bike belonging to teen’s late dad
AN appeal has been made for the return of a stolen bike which carries huge sentimental value for a Wexford family. Eighteen year-old Joshua Porter was gutted to find that thieves had stolen the state of the art black Carrera hybrid mountain-bike which was locked up outside his family home in Francis Street.
The bike had huge sentimental value as it belonged to Joshua’s late father, respected osteopath Mark Porter who died by suicide back in 2017. With the bike being of such huge sentimental value, both Joshua and his mother Ann were devastated after discovering it had been taken.
‘My son really cherished that bike, he’s gutted,’ Ann said. ‘It was a top of the line bike and cost over €1,000, which is why we had secured it with a really expensive lock. Whoever took it must’ve spotted it and come back. It was well thought out and the guys in Halfords said they must’ve had special equipment to be able to cut through the lock.’
Following an appeal on social media, Ann has been sent a number of images of bikes spotted around Wexford, but sadly none of them are the right one.
‘People have been so good,’ she said. ‘The community spirit is fantastic. People have been offering bikes and one woman even turned up at the front door with a different bike. Sadly it was a very particular bike that was taken and it had huge sentimental value. That’s the reason we’re so keen to get it back.’
Wexford Gardaí were notified of the theft and are said to be looking into the matter and meanwhile, Ann is offering a reward for anyone that can offer the bike’s return. Anyone with any information or who may have spotted a black Carrera mountain-bike is asked to contact Wexford Garda Station or call Ann on 0872766062.