A former criminal reveals how he would mock his victims online with photographs of their destroyed bikes.
A former motorcycle thief bragged online mocking his victims
The reformed motorcycle thief told the BBC how he and his friends would often pose with stolen bikes and posted the images online. He would often post photographs with his face covered threatening that they were “coming for your bikes”.
Going by the name ‘Ryan’ to the BBC, he explained how he would often ride the machines around Bristol until the motorbike ran out of petrol. From this point, he would just set the bike ablaze.
Crime rates in the UK continue to rise
Only last year, Heely MP Louise Haigh has urged Teresa May to give more protection to UK police forces in pursuing moped criminals. She argued that “Crimes involving mopeds and bikes has soared across the country in recent years”.
https://www.Saffysprocket.com/news/teresa-may-motorcycle-crime/
In 2016 in the UK, motorcycle theft has risen by 16%. That translates into over 500 motorcycles are stolen per week. While the vast majority of bikes are taken in London, theft rates are increasing dramatically around the country. In some areas, theft rates have increased up to 1500%. In Bristol alone, ten motorcycles are stolen every week.
To make matters worse, it may be the case that motorcycle tracks are made redundant following the UK’s departure from the European Union. This is due to the UK’s reliance upon the Galileo GPS.
The new BBC document examines the reformed thief’s previous life
The new BBC Documentary “, Inside out West, takes a closer look at how one former thief and his previous lifestyle. This includes insight into his motives behind his crime sprees.
Ryan – a fake name given by the BBC- reveals how he would hack off security chains, alarms using bolt-cutters and angle grinders, stopping at nothing until the bike was in his possession.
The crime wouldn’t end when the bike was in his possession
Ryan would often look for the most powerful machines available to steal. He stated that usually bigger bikes were more accessible to take. He said that “Bigger bikes are even easier to steal. Two wires mostly.”
When the bike was in his possession, he would proceed to destroy them. The job didn’t end there. He would then taunt his victims online with photographs of their bikes, often burnt out.
Motorcycle thief explains it was all just a game
When questioned about his motives, Ryan revealed that “I did it for fun really. It was just a game for me.” When questioned about his online posts, he said: “It was about throwing it in people’s faces and saying ‘We can do what we want”.
“If I want a bike, I’m going to take it, and there’s nothing anyone else can do about it. And by putting it on Instagram, it was saying ‘F*** you’.
“We weren’t bothered about being seen – we wanted to be seen.”
He was finally caught thanks to tracking devices
Ryan was eventually caught thanks to tracking devices attached to stolen motorcycles led police to his home address. However, he stated that a prison sentence did very little to deter him from his life of crime. He was initially given 18 weeks but was released after 9.
You can watch the BBC’s new documentary Inside Out West this Monday at 7:30 pm on BBC One West. It will be available on iPlayer immediately afterwards.
https://www.Saffysprocket.com/news/brexit-galileo-motorcycle-trackers/
