Thieves steal prized bikes worth £18k
A Midlothian soldier has been left devastated after thieves made off with two prized mountain bikes worth £18,000.
Liam Dickson, from Easthouses was working south of the border when he was told the upsetting news earlier this week.
The 35-year-old said riding bikes is his main hobby and he also represents the Army in competitions. Speaking to the Evening News, Liam said: “I race for the Army and I also take part in civilian races – mountain biking is something I do all the time. I’m on leave for two weeks and now I feel absolutely lost because I can’t go out riding.
“One of the bikes is really rare, it was a limited edition and it was an extra large because I’m six foot six – those bikes are really hard to get a hold of in that size – so if someone tries to sell it for a silly price, people in the mountain biking community will know straight away that it’s a dodgy bike.”
Liam said neighbours told him they saw two men acting suspiciously in the area at the time and it is understood police have launched enquiries into the incident and are checking nearby CCTV in a bid to identify the thieves. Police said the bikes were stolen from a garden shed at ‘some point overnight between Monday March 25, and Tuesday March 26.’
One of the distinctive stolen bikes is a yellow 2022 Specialized Kenevo SL eBike with a value of £9,500. The second bike is an orange 2020 Scott Gambler Tuned with a value of £9,000.
Liam explained that the bikes were only relocated to the garden shed from the inside his house last week to make space for works in his home. Prior to the theft Liam had also ordered a new, reinforced shed to house his prized possessions.
He said: “I thought it would be fine to put them in the shed for three or four days until the new shed arrived because it’s quite a quiet street – but within two days they were taken. ”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers are carrying out enquiries following a report of two bikes being stolen from a shed in the garden of a property in Leighton Crescent, Easthouses, Midlothian.”
Mountain biking is something I do all the time and now I feel lost because I can’t go out riding