Police and Cash Converters team up to return $1500 bike stolen from Year 12 boy
A SHARP-EYED detective has reunited a devastated teen with his stolen bike after it was sold to Parkdale Cash Converters.
South East
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A SHARP-EYED detective has reunited a devastated teen with his stolen bike.
Jon Taylor’s treasured $1500 mountain bike was locked up outside Chelsea Woolworths on April 21, but when he returned 10 minutes later it was gone.
The John Paul College Year 12 student immediately reported the theft to police but said he didn’t think he would get it back.
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But Jon, 17, wasn’t counting on the tenacity of Sergeant Mick Sewell, who spotted the Giant Fathom 29er on Cash Converters’ stock database after it was sold to the Parkdale store.
Dad Scott Taylor said the mountain bike was given to his son as a gift about six months ago after his previous bike was wrecked in an accident.
“He’s pretty wrapped to get the bike back, he’s got enough to stress about without having lost his bike,” Mr Taylor said.
Jon encouraged owners to take photos of their bikes and record serial numbers to help police with their investigations.
“Police were surprised I knew stuff about the bike and could write up the details in the report,” he said.
Kingston crime investigation unit detective Senior Constable Susanna Hughes said it had been the second bike theft case the Sergeant had cracked that week.
“Sgt Sewell knows every bike ever made and rest assured if your bike is stolen anywhere in the City of Kingston, he is sure to find it,” she said.
“It’s fantastic to know Jonathon got his bike back.”
Sen-Constable Hughes said once store manager Craig Brownrigg was informed of the theft he immediately gave the bike back without making Jon get a court order for its return.
“It felt fantastic, we got to meet them both here in the store and it was really nice to see them so happy to get their item back,” Mr Brownrigg said.
Only 0.095 per cent of the 4.6 million items purchased by Cash Converters in 2015/16 were identified as stolen, according to the company website.
A 26-year-old Safety Beach man has been charged and bailed to face court next month