Arrest after stolen bike is advertised for sale on Facebook

Police were alerted to overnight thefts from two separate addresses in Saint Aloysius View in Hebburn on Friday, May 22.

It was reported a man had entered the garage of one property and stolen a red Apollo bicycle, before taking a second bike worth, approximately £350, from the garden of another address in the same street.

An investigation was launched into both thefts and officers soon learned one of the stolen bikes had been put up for sale on the social media site.

The following day, police arrested a 43-year-old man from the South Shields area on suspicion of burglary. He has been released on bail and enquiries are ongoing.

The stolen bikes have both been located and will be reunited with their owners.

Inspector Denise Easdon, of Northumbria Police, said: “We take incidents of this nature incredibly seriously and know the detrimental and corrosive effect that burglaries can have on victims, their families and the wider community as a whole.

“After both incidents were reported to us, a team of officers were able to carry out a range of enquiries in a bid to identify anybody responsible – and soon we became aware that one of the stolen items had been put up for sale on Facebook.

“Within 24 hours, we were able to arrest a suspect in connection with both incidents and locate the stolen bikes, which will be returned to the victims.

“We will not tolerate this kind of criminality and anybody found to have flouted the law can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly. Our enquiries into these particular incidents are ongoing and we would ask anybody with information to come forward and get in touch.

“Our officers patrol the streets every single day looking to bring suspected thieves and burglars to justice, but we would ask residents to take an extra second to make sure their doors and vehicles are locked, and any valuable items placed out of sight."

Anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the police website, website quoting log 1110 220520.