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Shocking moment: Brazen crooks steal Absolute Radio DJ Leona Graham’s motorbike from outside her home

Posted on by angelo
Shocking moment: Brazen crooks steal Absolute Radio DJ Leona Graham’s motorbike from outside her home

By Cameron Charters

10:13 03 Jul 2024, updated 11:06 03 Jul 2024

Absolute Radio DJ Leona Graham has revealed how three brazen crooks stole her blue Honda motorbike parked outside her front door using an angle grinder in the middle of the night.

Footage captured by the radio presenter’s CCTV shows the thieves breaking the locks on her driveway in Wimbledon, south-west London, at around 2am on June 29 before fleeing.

The thieves, Dressed in dark tracksuits with hoods and motorcycle helmets, they take their tools out of their backpacks and get to work. The cutting tools send orange sparks into the night sky as the bike is released from its locks.

The thieves are then seen reversing the motorcycle down the driveway and onto a tree-lined road.

Ms Graham, 53, said she reported the crime to police but claimed they did not ask to see her CCTV.

DJ Leona Graham poses on another of her motorcycles before her Honda’s final theft
Ms Graham reported the theft to police but says they did not ask her for evidence.

The mother-of-four said: “I reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police but they didn’t ask for any video or evidence. I opted for two padlocks, a tracker, cameras and security lights. Nothing stopped them. They just kept going. The solution is to install more padlocks.”

In London, criminal gangs are targeting bikes with angle grinders with impunity as police struggle to contain the lawlessness.

In August 2020, a single gang stole 68 bikes using angle grinders and during their raid it is believed they made off with bikes worth £100,000.

After being brought to justice and imprisoned by the police, the number of bicycle thefts dropped by 90 percent.

Security camera footage shows the trio of thieves heading to work with their angle grinder
Despite extensive security precautions, the Honda motorcycle was stolen in the early hours of the morning
Two of the thieves helped each other put away their tools before fleeing into the night.

But police have struggled in recent months to crack down on the illicit trade.

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In April alone, footage emerged of a bike being stolen in broad daylight in Shoreditch, east London, using an angle grinder.

The hooded thief can be seen approaching the bike before pulling out the cordless power tool.

The brazen robbery took place yesterday morning on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, east London.

Witnesses saw sparks flying from the metal lock, which was easily opened.

The man, also wearing a plaid jacket and dark vest, stumbles as the racing bike falls to the ground.

But he manages to pick it up and calmly set off on the road, putting the angle grinder in his green backpack.

In June, in Tower Hill, east London, two bike thieves stole a scooter in just 13 seconds using an angle grinder.

Pedestrians paid no attention to the theft as the helmeted duo took the scooter from Goodman’s Yard.

They then fled, wearing high-visibility jackets, without any worries.

Cordless angle grinders cost as little as £75 and are being used to steal vehicles worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

The Metropolitan Police, contacted for comment, said: “On Saturday 29 June at 07:28 police received a report of a theft of a motor vehicle.

“At this stage, no arrests have been made. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.”