SWNSA cyclist carried out the perfect revenge on thieves who stole her bike… by stealing it back less than 24 hours later.
Jenni Morton-Humphreys had her beloved blue Cube racing bike stolen from Bristol city centre when thieves cut through the chain.
Worried she wouldn’t get it back, she posted a picture of her Cube bike on the Bristol Cycling group Facebook page and asked for people to keep their eyes out.
@Jenni K. Morton-Humphreys/FacebookShe told UNILAD:
I was out, it was a day time thing, I was out most of the day, it was sunny – when I went to get my bike back, it had gone.
I can only assume whoever did it had cut the lock, because it was a cable lock and the lock wasn’t there either.
When I got home, I was really angry and I spoke to my flatmate about it and thought about what to do. Just about a week before I’d joined a cycling group on Facebook so I posted a picture of the bike and asked if people could keep an eye out.
Jenni was contacted by somebody from the group ‘within five minutes’ who said they’d seen the bike listed for sale on Facebook.
The man, who doesn’t want to be named, then contacted the seller saying his sister was interested in buying a bike and wanted to take a look.
@Jenni K. Morton-Humphreys/FacebookJenni continued
My bike was for sale on Facebook, whoever took it must have put it up for sale within a couple of hours.
So this guy on who’d seen it for sale continued to message the person who’d presumably taken it saying his sister was interested. He was being chilled, not obvious.
The person selling the bike said ‘she can come tomorrow morning’, and I just thought ‘I’m going to get my bike back’.
Jenni said she wasn’t particularly nervous as she’d been ‘thinking about it for ages’, accompanied by a couple of friends to oversee the whole thing, she went to get her bike.
SWNSShe said:
I had this whole plan, and I was excited to get it back. I hardly slept.
One I was in conversation with the guy selling, I knew my plan would work. I had props, I figured I’d need to think of a casual way to get him to let go of the bike, so I had a set of keys – which were actually the keys to the old bike lock – and an empty packet of cigarettes I found lying about.
I didn’t want to take anything else, like my phone, in case he asked to hold it while I went on a test ride.
And that was it, Jenni was on her bike and she said she ‘just went for it’ pedalling as fast as she could.
@Jenni K. Morton-Humphreys/FacebookAccording to Jenni’s friends who’d witnessed the whole thing, the man didn’t realise what happened, he just looked confused and looked down at the keys.
Someone shouted ‘she’s not coming back’ and the bike thief began messaging the man who’d pretended to be her brother. The thief said: “I need 95 quid lively.”
Jenni said she doesn’t know why he’d shaved £5 off the asking price, adding: “I guess he wanted a quick sale.”
The man, who asked not to be named, replied:
She’s probably taken it straight home.
Not surprised though, because it is her bike that was stolen yesterday.
Lesson to be learned son. Don’t steal from the cycling community for a quick fix. You played yourself.
So Jenni got her bike back, and what’s more, she said the thief had taken the time to fix the brakes and the light as well.
Jenni 1 – thief 0.
