Fife world biking champ left devastated after £65,000 theft of competition bikes

By Lindsey Hamilton

September 17 2022, 2:51pm

Jamie Galloway in the winning position on the podium in Andorra.

A Fife teenage trials bike world champion has been left devastated by the theft of £65,000 worth of equipment.

Ten trials bikes and four mountain bikes were stolen from the Thornton home of Jamie Galloway 17, overnight on Friday.

His older brother, Ross, 19 has also had bikes stolen. Ross is currently sitting in first place in the Scottish Trials Bikes Championships.

Planned theft

The boys’ mum, Kirstin Pennycook said her sons were distraught at the theft of their bikes.

Kirstin added that it was also obvious that the theft was planned, with the thieves knowing exactly what they were looking for.

Kirstin said: “We woke up this morning to find the bikes gone.

“Someone has actually removed windows and cut through the wooden wall of the outbuilding the bikes are kept in.

“We live in a rural location and it looks like the thieves have accessed the building from the fields at the back.

“We never heard a thing.”

World championships

Kirstin said both her sons regularly competed in motorcycle trials. The boys have been riding since they were three-years-old and have had major successes.

She said: ” Jamie has just returned from the Trials World Championships, winning a round of the championship in Andorra and securing 3rd place overall in the World.

“Ross is currently sitting in first place in the Scottish Championship.”

Kirstin added: “Both Ross and Jamie now have no bikes to practice or compete on as they have all been stolen. They are completely devastated.

‘There are no words’

“There are no words to describe how we are all feeling today. This is just absolutely dreadful for the boys and for us.

“We have worked hard all our lives as parents to give our boys these opportunities and overnight this has been savagely ripped from us.

“My husband added it up and the total value taken comes to around £65,000.”

Kirstin said that as well as the bikes other rare items were taken in the theft.

She said: “They also took rear Michelin tyres that are unavailable at the moment and motorcycle oil.

“These thieves knew what they were looking for.”

Reward

Kirstin said the family is willing to offer a £5,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the safe return of all these bikes.

She said that to compound her boys’ misery the bikes are not insured because of the type they are and to insure them would cost almost as much as the value of the bikes themselves.

Kirstin added: “We want to spread the word as far and wide as we can to make these bikes too difficult to sell on.

“The police have warned us they are probably far away by now or else being hidden in a lock up of some kind somewhere.”

Police appeal

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “Officers are appealing for information after a number of high value off road motorbikes and mountain bikes and were stolen following a break-in near the village of Thornton, Kirkcaldy.

The incident was reported around 10.20am on Saturday and is believed to have happened overnight.”

Detective Sergeant Alasdair Young, of Glenrothes CID, said: “This incident happened at a rural location and it appears that the persons responsible knew what they were looking for and would have required transport to take the bikes away.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area, including on rural roads between Tykes Burn and Lochty Burn, off the A92.

“Likewise we are keen to speak to anyone who may be offered these kind of bikes for sale.”

Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1030 of Saturday, 17 September, 2022.