How low can you go: Trike stolen from Navy veteran - MyCity Logan

A 79-year-old Navy veteran from Karawatha has been left without his essential exercise tricycle after thieves targeted his property twice in one day.

Robert Barnes, who has had two knee replacements, used his electric tricycle to maintain mobility and exercise his joints.

Now, he is calling on the public for help in recovering the stolen bike.

The first attempted theft occurred in the early hours of 3 March, when Mr Barnes noticed an individual loitering near his front gate, appearing to examine his security cameras.

Moments later, he discovered his trike had been moved up the road.

“I got up in the morning at six o’clock and my brother-in-law, who has an electric gate, noticed a bloke standing on the footpath,” he said.

“When I looked up the road, I saw my tricycle sitting there.”

The suspect fled up a nearby church driveway and disappeared down the road on a seperate bike.

Mr Barnes retrieved his trike and took extra precautions by chaining the front wheel to the frame before parking it in his carport.

However, by the following morning, the tricycle was gone.

“They must have lifted the front wheel and wheeled it out through the gate,” Mr Barnes said.

“They obviously came prepared the second time.”

Mr Barnes immediately contacted the police, who dusted for fingerprints but were unable to obtain usable evidence.

The thieves also removed two child car seats that had been sitting on top of the tricycle.

The loss of the trike is a significant blow to Mr Barnes, who depends on it for his rehabilitation.

“I’ve got a mobility scooter, but I needed the trike for exercise to keep my knees from seizing up,” he said.

“I ride the bike up and down my street a couple times a day, so it has been really important for my rehab.”

The electric tricycle, which features a motorised front wheel, was already awaiting a battery replacement.

Mr Barnes fears it may have been scrapped or sold, so he has visited local pawnshops in case it turns up.

“I went down to the two pawn shops near my local Woolworths and asked if anyone tried to sell it,” he said.

“They said they don’t take them, but I told them if one turns up, to call the police and hold onto it.”

Mr Barnes, an active community member who volunteers at the local food bank and darts club, hopes that someone may have seen the stolen trike and will come forward with information.

“If anyone has it, I would just like it returned, no questions asked. You can leave it out the front of my place if you want,” he said.

“I just really need it for my rehabilitation and I don’t have the money to purchase a new one.”

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