Thieves have targeted a disabled York professor for a second time – going to great lengths to steal his mobility tricycle.
YorkMix reported how youths stole an electric trike from outside the office of Jamie Wood last month.
Mr Wood, who has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, relies on the heavily modified bike to get around as he can’t walk far.
On that occasion it appeared to have been stolen from outside the University of York biology department by joyriders.
The distinctive vehicle was spotted in various areas of the city and was later recovered, albeit damaged and missing key parts.
Police investigating that theft say no arrests have been made as yet.
Mr Wood then bought a new Jorvik Elite blue e-trike, and modified it with some of the remaining parts of the salvaged trike stolen in June.
He went to great lengths to secure it, including using a £150 lock – to no avail. At about 1.30pm on Wednesday (19 July), thieves struck again.
“I got a heavy duty lock on it, a tracker and an alarm,” Mr Wood told YorkMix.
“And they disabled the tracker and the alarm – and cut through the heavy duty lot with an angle grinder in the middle of the afternoon.”
He actually heard them using the tools to steal his bike from outside his university office, and thought the noise was building work.
The effort the thieves went to has left him feeling very uneasy.
“What was really disturbing about it was it feels very targeted,” he said. “It feels like they just came out to have a go.
“I mean, it just seems extraordinary that somebody’s wandering around with an angle grinder at one o’clock in the middle of the day.”
The theft has a major impact on Mr Wood’s life. Not only is the bike his main form of transport, it is a vital part of the exercise regime prescribed to reduce his MS symptoms.
“Frankly, I’m completely flat,” he said. “It was quite an effort to get out of bed this morning.
“So I’m just hidden at home today. And I don’t feel like going in to work at the moment, because I can’t get in without a mobility aid and I can’t really safely park the mobility aid and get to my office.
“Basically what this says to me is I can’t cycle independently any more. If and when I do replace it, I’ll just have to use an exercise cycle and work from home.”
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “At about 1.30pm on 19 July, a tricycle was stolen from the University of York.
“Officers attended and two other suspected stolen bikes were recovered nearby. The tricycle has not been located.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and select option 4, quoting reference number 12230134327.
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