Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

£3k custom trike stolen from man with cerebral palsy

Friends are crowdfunding to get Simon Stevens back out on the road

Thieves have stolen a £3,000 custom tricycle from a disabled man who uses it to stay active.

Simon Stevens, who has cerebral palsy, and who was the star of Channel 4’s I’m Spazticus, had completed the HSBC UK City Ride, when he woke to hear thieves breaking into the secure cage he used to lock his bike in.

Stevens, 43, from Coventry, told the Coventry Telegraph: “This £3,000 bike was built for me specifically to ride for physical and mental health.

“It was stolen from my home - I heard them cut the bars to the caged, locked area.”

The bike, known as The Bullet, was made by Tomcat and allows him to get about in spite of his issues with speech, balance and hand control that mean he usually has to use a wheelchair.

He said of the bike when he got it: “I believe the Bullet will certainly help me keep fit, strengthen my muscles, and allow me to lose some weight when I need to.

“More importantly, I also believe it will assist me with managing my mental well-being.

"When I feel frustrated with the everyday stresses of work and passionate interactions on social media, a ride on the Bullet will be an enjoyable and positive way to relieve that frustration.

“The lack of support from services obliges individuals such as myself to try and self-fund or hunt down alternatives if we are to maintain a better quality of life.”

He added that its loss has made him concerned for his ongoing health.

“It means any hope of staying fit physically and mentally is dashed and my personal safety compromised.

“This bike was designed for me, why do this?

“I just want it back.”

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “We are investigating reports of a theft of a trike in Stoney Stanton Road, Foleshill, at around 6.30am today.

“Anyone with information can call us on 101 quoting the reference 20CV/201374U/17.”

Friends are helping to raise money to replace the bike and have already managed to generate nearly £1900 from generous backers. To view the crowdfunding campaign click here.

 

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
richiewormiling | 6 years ago
0 likes

Few of lads got on one of our disabled bikes simular to his and cycled off. Thankfully i legged it after them and got it back. The kids were just doing it for fun; probably would have dumped it later once they had the thrill.

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
0 likes

In an ideal world the thieves will get found and nails driven through their bollocks. Sadly, even if found, they will probably get some sort of non-custodial sentence to add to an already withstanding non-custodial sentence. The magistrates will tell them they are on their last chance and what a despicable crime it was but yet when given the opportunity to deprive them of the freedom that they have deprived this person of, will once again do nothing.

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
0 likes

Twats!

Avatar
Gus T | 6 years ago
1 like

beyond belief

 

Avatar
maviczap replied to Gus T | 6 years ago
2 likes

Gus T wrote:

beyond belief

 

Indeed, and I really can't comprehend how stupid they are to steal such a bike, as it's got no mainstream appeal to anyone? Plus it's very identifiable.

Avatar
dottigirl replied to maviczap | 6 years ago
0 likes

maviczap wrote:

Gus T wrote:

beyond belief

Indeed, and I really can't comprehend how stupid they are to steal such a bike, as it's got no mainstream appeal to anyone? Plus it's very identifiable.

Stolen to order, probably. It's not always about the mainstream.

There was a mass theft a while ago from one of the disabled cycling facilities - I don't think they recovered those bikes. Probably ended up in a container headed for another country.

Latest Comments