Returns from gym to find picture of man next to cycle with word 'stolen'

Photo left showing man next to stolen bike

A man visiting a gym in Chiswick had an unpleasant surprise when he returned to Prebend Gardens to collect his bike this Tuesday (1 September).

He found that it had gone but in its place there were two sheets paper attached to the rack underneath the railway underpass. One of them was a photo of a man standing next to the bike with the word ‘STOLEN’ written below along with the date and time. The time given was 2.45pm under a half an hour before the 29-year-old victim says he returned to his bike. No other information was given with the note.

He told the Mail Online, 'I locked the bike up, went to the gym, just finished training and when I came out the bike was gone. But in its place I found two A4 sheets of paper with the image with a timestamp on it duct-taped to where I'd left the bike.

'Part of me wishes they had told them to stop stealing my bike rather than just taking a picture, but understandably could be someone, like an old woman or someone who did not really want to get involved.

'So they did the only thing they could do which was take a picture and give me all the details they had.'

He did try to see if anyone from the surrounding properties would own up to leaving the photo so he could thank them but nobody he spoke to was prepared to admit responsibility.

After he filed a report he received an email from the police saying they would be in touch

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said, 'On 1 September, police received a report of a theft of a bicycle from outside Stamford Brook Underground Station.

'It was reported the owner had locked up the bike and then returned shortly after 17.00hrs to find it had been stolen.

'A photograph of the alleged thief had been left in the place where the bicycle had been.

'Enquiries are ongoing. There have been no arrests.'

September 6, 2020