BMX bandits (From Oxford Mail)
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BMX bandits
7:00pm Friday 18th November 2011 in News By Damian Fantato
Thomas Langstaff with his mum Cara and the BMX bike minus its handlebars
AN AUTISTIC boy was left devastated after thieves stole the handlebars from his cherished bike.
The BMX bike was given to 13-year-old Thomas Langstaff as a birthday present this year after the whole family chipped in.
Thomas, of Sedge Way, Carterton, said: “I’m angry because I got it for my birthday and someone has gone and taken it off me.
“These people are selfish and only think about themselves.
“It was my favourite thing and I would ride it every day.
The Carterton Community College pupil added: “I can’t go out with my friends on my bike now. I am still angry about it.”
When mum Cara Langstaff, 37, opened the outdoor storage unit where the family bikes are kept she couldn’t believe that the black handlebars were missing.
Mrs Langstaff said: “The bike is precious to him and losing the handlebars is like losing an arm.
“I just can’t believe someone would do this sort of thing.
“They obviously came prepared because they used an allan key and took the brakes off but left the wires.
“The bike was locked up against a bike frame.
“It feels like it was personal but it probably wasn’t.
“Thomas is still angry and he can’t go out riding with his friends.”
The bars were missing on the morning of Saturday, November 5, having been last seen the previous evening.
The bike is a matt black Mongoose BMX bike with multicoloured stickers on it.
The handlebars may have had some blue stickers on them.
She said: “I would ask anyone who knows anything about this to report it.
“I ask parents to come forward as well if their children have got handlebars that are not theirs.”
Thomas was diagnosed with a mild form of autism, which impairs social interaction, when he was in primary school.
Mrs Langstaff said: “Even though it is mild it does affect him. When he is angry he doesn’t know what to do about it.
“This theft has made him really down and all he can talk about is his bike.”
Pc Tracey Frazer, of Witney police station, said: “The bike means everything to the victim.
“He cannot ride his bike without the handlebars and his mother can’t afford to replace them.
“I would like to speak to anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously around the time of the offence or knows the location of the stolen item.”
Anyone with any information can contact the police on the non-emergency number 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Comments(4)
Lord Peter Mcvey, OX2 6EG
says...
3:02am Sat 19 Nov 11
Feelingsmatter wrote:Everybody is targeted, and everybody has something stolen off of them everyday. That is why we have insurance. And now as the recession really starts to hit, we will see the most trivial things being stolen as people need a few quid just to make ends meet, this was not a theft from a little kid, just one of the number of thefts from us all. Very sad, but very true. But even sadder is that the person responsible for getting us out of it has no idea what the theft of a few quid means. This is what happens when the working class are stupid enough to vote in a multi-millionaire with no comprehension of REAL life, to rule over us.
My son had his pegs nicked off his bike when he left it outside a shop, locked up, for about three minutes. BMX parts are transferable and expensive, so kids are stealing them to order. What a sick world we live in where cynical individuals target children in this way.
CLLR KEN TIWARI
says...
11:40am Sat 19 Nov 11
Nothing is wrong to Vote for Milionair-or-Billion
air, infact sometime it's worth voting for wealthy candidates then the pennyless one's, some-time rich-candidate is better, for they don't need our money, then the poorer ones may do, who wan'ts to catch-up with well-off one's ?
andrewgill
says...
1:32pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Feelingsmatter says...
7:16pm Fri 18 Nov 11