South Shields theft victim turns detective to help police find stolen bike

A theft victim turned detective and put police on the trail of his stolen motorbike - more than a year on after it went missing.
Matthew Edmonds who had his bike stolen back in April last year.Matthew Edmonds who had his bike stolen back in April last year.
Matthew Edmonds who had his bike stolen back in April last year.

Matthew Edmonds, 29, had his YZF250 bike stolen from his South Shields home in April last year.

He turned to the police for help, but a year on without them having any luck finding it, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The bike belonging to Matthew Edmonds which was stolen last year.The bike belonging to Matthew Edmonds which was stolen last year.
The bike belonging to Matthew Edmonds which was stolen last year.
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He says he discovered it being sold by a third party online last Friday and went to view the bike the next day.

On seeing the bike he believed it to be his own and contacted Northumbria Police.

Police came out to look at the machine and took it away while they carry out their inquiries.

Mr Edmonds is now waiting for police to return it to him once it is officially confirmed as his.

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Mr Edmonds, from Stanhope Road, South Shields, said: “I only bought the bike back in March last year but on April 21, 2017, it was stolen from my previous address.

“I told the police at the time but its been more than a year and they hadn’t been able to find it. So I started looking into it myself and found that it was being sold online by a third party.

“I was 99% sure it was mine and called the police and then went out to have a look at it.

“I contacted police and said that I had found the bike that I believed to be mine.

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“The police came out to identify it and said they had to recover it while they carried out their inquiries.”

Mr Edmonds, said he returned home one day to find the bike had been stolen from his garden where it had been locked up.

He said: “It has been an ordeal for me, but I am really glad to know I will be getting it back.

“The police told me I shouldn’t have done it the way I did, but I was just trying to save the police as much time as possible by helping them find it.”

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A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “In April last year we received a report a motorbike had been stolen from an address in South Shields.

“Officers made inquiries, but the vehicle was not recovered at the time.

“The owner again contacted officers this month, stating he had seen a bike matching the description of the one he reported stolen for sale on social media.

“As a result, officers attended an address in South Tyneside and seized a motorcycle.

“Inquiries are currently ongoing.”