Boy who crashed into cyclist to steal his £15k bike jailed

Machete-wielding boy, 15, who crashed into professional cyclist to steal his £15,000 bike is jailed after walking into cafe where police had been pondering how to find him

• The boy, now 17, was only 15-year-old when he stole Alex Richardson’s bike
• Teen jailed for six months plus six months on licence at Wimbledon Youth Court 
• READ MORE: Suspected Richmond Park bike jackers speed off on a motorcycle 

A 15-year-old boy who was part of a gang that brandished a machete as they crashed into a professional cyclist at a London park to steal his £15,000 bike has been jailed. 

The schoolboy was caught when he walked into a café where police officers were plotting how to find and arrest him.

Alex Richardson, 32, was training in Richmond Park, south west London, when a gang of four – led by the teenager- knocked him to the ground and stole his prized custom-made, one-of-a-kind bicycle on October 7 2021. 

But horror struck when one of the attackers wielded a huge 15-inch knife in front of him and forced him to hand over the bike.

At Wimbledon Youth Court on Tuesday, the defendant, who is now 17 but cannot be named due to a court order, was jailed for six months, plus six months on licence once he is released. 

An image released by the Met Police today showed one of the victim’s bikes being carried away by the robbers on the back of a moped

Alexandar Richardson (pictured previously at a cycling race) shared pictures of his terrifying ordeal on social media after the incident

Mr Richardson was dragged up to 100 metres on the thieves motorcycle as he attempted to hold onto his £15,000. However, he suffered nasty cuts to his legs before letting the attackers take the custom-made bike

The avid cyclist’s £15,000 stolen bike was completely custom-built and no other version of it existed

Former stockbroker Mr Richardson, who rides for UCI ProTeam Alpecin-Fenix was training for an upcoming race, said he was chased by four thugs on two motorcycles who were trying to force him to hand over his Specialized S-Works racing bike.

He rode off at speed to try to escape the gang. However, one of the members caught him on a moped travelling at around 40mph and dragged him up to 100 metres on their motorcycle as Mr Richardson held onto his £15,000 bike.

Following the incident, Mr Richardson suffered injuries to his ribs, back, knees, ankles and arms and suffered head pain as a result of his head hitting the road.

In images of the attack posted on Instagram, the cyclist showed the extent of one of his wounds, with deep cuts to his knee and blood running down his leg.

An image released by the Met Police today showed one of the victim’s bikes being carried away by the robbers on the back of a moped.

While the schoolboy was caught when he walked into a cafe, the three other male suspects are still at large.

The team headed to a nearby café for breakfast to discuss next steps – where the 15-year-old school boy who was the key suspect, walked into the same eatery.

He was arrested and a machete was found tucked down his trousers, along with a balaclava and a large amount of cash.

Two incidents of a similar nature to Mr Richardson’s happened within days of his. Pictured is another incident, showing a suspected bike jacker rushing off the scene after the theft of what appears to be another high-end bicycle

While the police investigation was ongoing, two further offences took place in the Richmond Park area on Monday, 11 October 2021. Pictured is one of the bike theft attacks, which occurred outside Richmond Park, close to Roehampton Gate

Richardson did what he could to hold onto his £15,000 bike but it was taken from him at knife point before the masked men quickly sped off

Clothing found at properties linked to him matched the descriptions given by the victims.

Meanwhile, a download of his phone showed an image of Mr Richardson’s stolen bike leaning against a wall near the park.

Phone data showed that the photograph was taken a couple of minutes after the robbery, police said.

Describing the robbery, Mr Richardson said he feared for his life and that it caused him to not want to cycle in public.

He said: ‘This crime made me fear for my life; I thought I could be murdered at that moment and it continues to cause feelings of anxiety, stress, sleepless nights and a fear for my family’s safety to the point we have hired overnight security at our property on more than one occasion.

‘I have a huge fear of riding my bike now on open roads in the UK as this could happen again at any time.

READ MORE: Professional cyclist reveals four machete-wielding, balaclava-clad thieves on motorbikes chased him down in Richmond Park before crashing into him, dragging him over 100 yards and stealing his £10,000 bike

‘My children have also been affected, they have had disturbed sleep and are traumatised by what they saw in the evening with my physical injuries.

‘No one should have to feel this way. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I have.’

And while police officers carried out a string of raids less than a week after the robbery, but no suspect was found. 

However, during investigations two further offences of a similar nature took place. Two other men with valuable bikes were targeted in neighbouring streets, just four days after Mr Richardson was set upon near the Roehampton Gate entrance of the park just after 4pm in 2021.

One victim was also deliberately crashed into at around 5pm and had his Aethos Expert Bike worth £5,700 taken by the robbers, while a man in his 50s, who was targeted nearby just moments earlier, was not hit by the gang so managed to escape.

On Thursday 16 March the defendant, who is now 17 but cannot be named due to a court order, appeared at Croydon Youth Court, where he admitted two counts of moped-enabled robbery, one count of attempted robbery and possession of criminal property. 

And following a hearing, at Wimbledon Youth Court on Tuesday 18 April, he was jailed for six months, plus six months on licence once he is released.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of moped-enabled robbery, one count of attempted robbery and possession of criminal property at Croydon Youth Court on March 16.

Detective Constable Ian Croxford, from the Met Police’s Operation Venice team that led the investigation, said it was lucky the victims were not more seriously hurt.

He said today after the hearing: ‘The defendant carried out a number of terrifying offences with no regard for the safety of the victims or the injuries he could cause by ramming them off their bikes and dragging them along the road. It was only by good fortune that none of them were more seriously hurt.

‘All of the victims have spoken of the effect these robberies have had on their lives. No one should have to change the way they behave because of the violent actions of others and we are pleased that this defendant has now been prosecuted.’

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