Cleethorpes Mum tricks thief into returning son's bicycle
A brave Cleethorpes mother tricked a thief who had stolen a bicycle from her 12-year-old son into delivering it straight back to her home.
Jemma Shaw, of Bentley Street, is encouraging others "not to be frightened" of thieves who are preying on young children by intimidating them and stealing their bicycles.
She says that her 12-year-old son was approached by two older males who sat and chatted to him for nearly an hour, before they stole the young boy's BMX.
She then found that one of the thieves was trying to sell it on the Facebook group 'Grimsby Swaps and Sales'.
Jemma decided to take the matter into her own hands and asked the thief if she would be able to buy the bike off him for £100.
When he came to drop off the bike, she filmed the entire interaction, and calmly told the thief that he had stolen the bike just a day before from her son.
In the video, Jemma can be heard asking the thief how long he had owned the bike and where he had got it from.
He told her that he had "owned it for ages" but began to stutter when quizzed about where he got it from.
Once Jemma told him that she knew he had stolen the bike from her son, the thief simply said "OK" before fleeing.
Jemma said: "I really couldn't believe my eyes when this man turned up at my house wheeling my son's bicycle.
"I understand that what I did could have been dangerous, but I have a big dog in the house that keeps me safe, and I just wanted to show my son that you don't have to be scared of these people and that you can stand up to them without being violent.
"It is disgusting that these people would go up to a young child playing in the park with the sole intention of stealing their bicycle. It is beginning to get so horrible around here, it is full of plastic gangsters.
"I needed to show my son that you can be strong in these situations, but also peaceful, because violence is never the answer.
"I hope that this thief has now learned his lesson, and won't go around picking on other young children.
"But he at least did one good thing and fixed the brakes for us before trying to sell me it."
A Humberside Police spokesperson said: "We always encourage anyone who has had any property stolen to call us in the first instance and report it.
"Also insuring and registering your bike can be easily done online. We recommend you register it at the police-approved UK national property register."