Man offers £2,000 reward after his bike was stolen in Wigan

Sam Haslett drove all the way to Ince from his home in Cwmbran, South Wales - a 375 mile round-trip - to deliver his electric motorcross bike to a Wiganer who had seen it for sale online.

But immediately after arriving to sell it, the would-be buyer hopped on the £3,200 bike and sped off from the area, never to be seen again.

Sam has now offered a huge cash reward for any information that leads to the recovery of his bike, a Sur Ron IBX, which he only purchased six months ago.

He said: “I had someone contact me from an advert I placed on gumtree, agreed a price (£3200), asked if I could deliver it to him. He said his father would send me a deposit to cover the fuel costs, vehicle, day off work etc, to bring the bike.”

The following day, Sam received a deposit of £300, and was told he would receive the remaining money via a bank transfer on the day of delivery.

“I spoke with him on the phone on the way up, he told me he’d be out in the front garden waiting to help me unload it, as my friend who drove me is disabled,” Sam added.

“He told me he lived at 35 Turriff Grove but when I pulled up he was actually outside number 37, talking to three people who lived at the address. He was fully dressed wearing a dark dressing gown, slippers, a cap and glasses. He was in his late 30s or early 40s, and was bald from what I could see.

“As we reversed to park, he walked down to the car and helped unload. He asked to sit on the bike and immediately turned it on and rode off out of Turriff Grove, left onto Falkirk Drive.”

Sam added: “I returned to Turriff Grove, where the residents he was with were. They were all telling me they didn’t know who he was, that 35 Turriff Grove was empty and that he was just randomly walking past and asked for a spanner.”

Sam is now offering a cash reward of £2,000 for the recovery of his bike. He said: “I could go out and buy another one for that price, but it’s the principal. That’s a big enough reward to get someone talking, hopefully. I’ve worked hard for this bike and some little scumbag has stolen it.”

A Gumtree spokesperson commented: “We’re sorry to hear about Mr Haslett’s experience. Gumtree is an open community marketplace, and as such encourages users to meet with one another to complete their trades. However as with any real world trading, it is important that people follow our prominent safety advice. We list safety advice on buying and selling vehicles throughout our website as well as having a dedicated page on staying safe at the meet up.

“We recommend that people using our site meet during the day in a public place and take a friend or relative along if possible. If you have any uncertainty about a potential buyer, walk away from the sale. We are constantly working closely with the police and other authorities to ensure all our users have as safe an experience as possible.”

Details on the bike can be sent to Sam on 07787828219. Anyone with information should also call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.