Stolen Bicycle Now Found

[Diamond]

Gosh - it seems to be all going off right now.

I was walking back from lunch this afternoon when I noticed a bike that I thought looked a tad familiar and, on closer inspection, it was my very same bicycle stolen from bike racks nearby about 3 months ago.

It's a pretty rare model and had been very heavily modified at quite extensive cost a few weeks before it was nicked.

I've alerted the police again and have locked it up, over the top of its current d-lock, and left a note for the current owner but am not sure how to take things forward now.

Obviously getting shirty with the current owner, who presumably didn't steal it in the first place, is probably going to be counter productive but it still feels plain wrong that I can't just take it away of my own volition.

 

[moon]

I once left my beloved Vespa scooter in Islington over night, when I returned the next day someone had put a locked chain on it.
Whilst thinking (and crying) about what to do, a fire engine went passed and I noticed a fire station further down the road, so I ran after the fire engine, explained what had happend, produced some proof of ownership papers and they kindly cut the chain for me..

 

[sim667]

Gosh - it seems to be all going off right now.

I was walking back from lunch this afternoon when I noticed a bike that I thought looked a tad familiar and, on closer inspection, it was my very same bicycle stolen from bike racks nearby about 3 months ago.

It's a pretty rare model and had been very heavily modified at quite extensive cost a few weeks before it was nicked.

I've alerted the police again and have locked it up, over the top of its current d-lock, and left a note for the current owner but am not sure how to take things forward now.

Obviously getting shirty with the current owner, who presumably didn't steal it in the first place, is probably going to be counter productive but it still feels plain wrong that I can't just take it away of my own volition.

I'd like to know how the police work this one out....

I guess you reported it at the time?

 

[Chilli.s]

Go home and get yer bolt croppers.

 

[Diamond]

Just spoke to the police who more or less just threw their hands up and said negotiate with the new "owner".

 

[DotCommunist]

bolt croppers it is then

 

[Pickman's model]

Diamond you should be issuing complaints against the police left right and centre given what's happened to you.

 

[sim667]

Just spoke to the police who more or less just threw their hands up and said negotiate with the new "owner".

Did you provide them with any serial numbers visible on the frame when it was originally reported?

If so, and they can verify that, then they're choosing to ignore a report of someone who's handling stolen goods, which is in itself an offence.

Kick up a stink if so.

 

[BigTom]

Gosh - it seems to be all going off right now.

I was walking back from lunch this afternoon when I noticed a bike that I thought looked a tad familiar and, on closer inspection, it was my very same bicycle stolen from bike racks nearby about 3 months ago.

It's a pretty rare model and had been very heavily modified at quite extensive cost a few weeks before it was nicked.

I've alerted the police again and have locked it up, over the top of its current d-lock, and left a note for the current owner but am not sure how to take things forward now.

Obviously getting shirty with the current owner, who presumably didn't steal it in the first place, is probably going to be counter productive but it still feels plain wrong that I can't just take it away of my own volition.

Do you have any evidence that it's your bike? eg: serial number recorded for insurance or something, or was it registered with BikeRegister or similar? If it is then the police shouldn't be throwing their hands up, sadly for the new owner they should be reclaiming the bike for you.
If you don't have any evidence (and I'm not questioning that this is your bike, you can obviously tell by the mods) then I can understand that the police won't feel (or actually won't) be able to do anything about it.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Negotiating tool

 

[hot air baboon]

^ annoying americanism thread ===>

 

[friedaweed]

I can't wait to see what happens to Diamond tomorrow

 

[Citizen66]

I would just take it back again. You can't get done for taking your own bike.

 

[Pickman's model]

Do you have any evidence that it's your bike? eg: serial number recorded for insurance or something, or was it registered with BikeRegister or similar? If it is then the police shouldn't be throwing their hands up, sadly for the new owner they should be reclaiming the bike for you.
If you don't have any evidence (and I'm not questioning that this is your bike, you can obviously tell by the mods) then I can understand that the police won't feel (or actually won't) be able to do anything about it.

we don't need no stinkin evidence

 

[Maurice Picarda]

If Diamond's insurer has already paid out, then the bike presumably belongs to them.

 

[sim667]

If Diamond's insurer has already paid out, then the bike presumably belongs to them.

If Diamond had it insured

 

[rubbershoes]

If Diamond's insurer has already paid out, then the bike presumably belongs to them.

Are you talking legal or beneficial ownership ?


What if the new owner bought it in good faith?

 

[Pickman's model]

Diamond if you had your bike insured have you collected a payout from the insurers?

 

[two sheds]

Are you talking legal or beneficial ownership ?


What if the new owner bought it in good faith?

I didn't think it mattered whether it was bought in good faith- still the original owner's property?

 

[Citizen66]

"bought in good faith" is still receiving stolen goods in the eyes of the law afaik.

 

[existentialist]

What if the new owner bought it in good faith?

I don't think that counts for anything: if it's stolen, then it is the property of the theft victim (or his/her insurer), no matter how far down the chain of sale it's gone.

The only potential advantage to the buyer in good faith is that he's (probably) less likely to end up charged with handling stolen goods. Provided, I suppose, that he can demonstrate evidence of that good faith.

 

[existentialist]

Diamond if you had your bike insured have you collected a payout from the insurers?

In which case, in his shoes, I'd probably be inclined to let the matter drop, if only because of the general hassle it would involve.

 

[two sheds]

I don't think that counts for anything: if it's stolen, then it is the property of the theft victim (or his/her insurer), no matter how far down the chain of sale it's gone.

The only potential advantage to the buyer in good faith is that he's (probably) less likely to end up charged with handling stolen goods. Provided, I suppose, that he can demonstrate evidence of that good faith.

"Sorry m'lud it was just such a good bargain - was a steal "

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

"Sorry m'lud it was just such a good bargain - was a steal "

It's a deal, it's a steal, it's sale of the fackin' century!

 

[existentialist]

A friend of mine, years ago, found himself on the wrong side of this. He'd bought a bike, a reasonably nifty racer, from someone at what seemed like a reasonable price, and got stopped by the police. It turned out the bike was stolen, and they'd got someone for the theft. What they wanted from him was evidence that he'd bought the bike, and how much he'd paid for it. Well, obviously, he didn't have a receipt, so there were mutterings about receiving stolen goods, but fortunately the thief corroborated what he said he'd paid for it, and they must have decided that it wasn't really worth pursuing. No idea if they'd have that flexibility nowadays, though. And they had got the thief in the bag.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Victoria's Secrets boss sues auction house over Ferrari sale

The billionaire boss of Victoria's Secrets is suing a London auction house over the sale of a multi-million dollar Ferrari.

Les Wexner, 77, paid a record-breaking $17 million-plus for the 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus at this summer's Goodwood Festival of Speed...

Part of the Ferrari was stolen from Ohio in the 1980s and imported to Belgium, kicking off years of legal disputes on both sides of the Atlantic.

Bonhams brought the U.S. and European parties together and, in 2013, they signed an agreement designed to "extinguish all claims and counterclaims" regarding the car.

The auction house was then appointed to sell the Ferrari with the catalogue stating that "all relevant litigation" with the car had been "settled"...

 

[Dogsauce]

I reckon Diamond 's bike thief has thrown him in the Thames given the lack of updates. Picked a fight with the wrong guy.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I reckon Diamond 's bike thief has thrown him in the Thames given the lack of updates. Picked a fight with the wrong guy.

More likely the Regents Canal.

 

[Diamond]

Got bike back now.

The chap seemed to have released the lock after reading my note overnight.

All in all, a happy state of affairs and I now have two, rather than one, very nice bikes, which is a bit unnecessary tbh...

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What did the note say?