Our Christmas hasn't started on a good note.

My nephew in law's motorbike was stolen on Saturday afternoon from outside the house.

He took the children to the cinema whilst my niece went shopping, she dropped them off and was out for less than 2 hours.

I was round my sister's dropping off my contribution to the xmas lunch and as my niece lives nearby decided to call in to see the puppy they have recently bought.

Her daughter came home from her Saturday job and she was the first to realise that the bike was missing.

They questioned the neighbours and two of them saw 2 young boys walking along the road with a bike.  They live in a close so it's not as though these boys were just passing by.

Yesterday my niece was visiting her sister who lives in the same road as her mum, she took her daughter with her and sent her over to her nanna's house to drop off the xmas presents.  When she came out of the house she heard a familiar sound and saw her dad's bike go past.

My brave niece and daughter found the bike and took it away.  Luckily her daughter knows how to ride a bike so was able to help her push it back. 

Luckily no violence was involved just a lot of verbal abuse and threats.  My niece is 5'2" tall but she gave back as much verbal as she was given, it was only when they started to threaten her that she called 999 and her husband.

The police came 20 minutes later and they are not taking it any further.

Why I don't know, the garden it was found in was full of bike parts so this may not be the first one they have taken and probably won't be the last. 

My sister missed all of this as we had taken her out for the day.

This hasn't been a good year for us as a family as we lost someone who was very dear to us.  There'll be 16 of us at the xmas table and despite everything that's happened we won't let it get us down.

Merry christmas to you all and I for one am hoping for a happy new year.

Zena

Hi Zena,

I hope that since a few days have passed, the anger at this robbery has paled a little.

Thankfully nobody got hurt when they recovered the bike, it could all have turned out very differently.

Most annoying thing though is the police ignoring this crime!

Typical eh? I suppose it would have involved too much paperwork!

This gives those low life a virtual license to re-offend, knowing they can get away with it.

Anyway, let's hope you have a much luckier New Year.

Kind regards,

Hi it is rotten when it happens to children isn't it.  Last New Years Day my son came running home crying he was out with a friend skateboarding and cycling and while his back was turned to skateboard a man in van pulled up and picked up his mountain bike and drove off, it wasn't his christmas present but was a blooming expensive mountain bike he had owned for 2 years, he loved it and we have never been able to afford a good enough one since.  But as I said to him it could have been him taken.  He still mentions it when he sees a similar type of van.

This wasn't in the UK by the way. 

It's pretty sad how things turn out at Xmas, and you always guarantee that families will suffer, but I feel for my friend who's mother was ill and died before Xmas, but then his father died 4 days later! so I have to say there are some things that just get lost in the background!! Material things are ALWAYS replaceable?? Just a thought?

Yes I agree, I used to visit my father on Boxing day and he died on that day after my visit so I struggle to get through the day now but they say time  heals and looking out the window at sunshine helps.