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Crime

23rd Mar 2022

Google Earth snitches and reveals ‘stolen bike’ stash so large it can be seen from above

Kieran Galpin

‘Cracks me up no one spotted it sooner. Surely you’d think it suspicious to have a garden overflowing with bikes?’

Just when you needed another reason to distrust technology, Google Earth swings in to snitch on a mountain of stolen bikes in an Oxford garden.

The stash of bikes was seen in the back yard of a property in Littlemore, causing police to raid the house on March 17. The unnamed 54-year-old living there was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and possession of criminal property.

Google

Following his arrest, Thames Valley Police released a public statement detailing the offences. It read: “The warrant was carried out in Giles Road under Section 8 of Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

“A large number of bicycles, believed to be stolen, have been recovered from the property. Officers are currently in the process of identifying ownership of these bicycles.”

The man has since been released under investigation and police are believed to be in the process of finding the rightful owners of the bike collection.

People have been reacting to the shocking images online after they were uploaded by Thames Valley Police earlier this week.

bike

“Cracks me up no one spotted it sooner. Surely you’d think it suspicious to have a garden overflowing with bikes?” one user questioned. Such sentiments were echoed across Twitter and Facebook, where another wrote: “Did the neighbours not think it strange…?

A third joked: “What they got, 222 Kids and Counting lol?”

Other users, presumably in the area, said the bikes had “been there for years.”

Anyone with any information about the bikes has been asked to contact Thames Valley Police via 101, or you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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