Cyclist robbed of £4,200 bike by thieves wielding a hammer in Regent’s Park

27 February 2025 , 08:33

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Cyclist robbed of £4,200 bike by thieves wielding a hammer in Regent’s Park

A cyclist had his £4,200 road bike stolen from him by a gang of hammer-wielding robbers while on a morning ride through Regent’s Park.

Mobs of ‘bike-jackers’ have been targeting riders who gather in the famous northwest London park each morning before it opens up to vehicle traffic at 7am.

One of them, Patrick Conneely, 33, was followed by two men on a moped while doing a lap of the Outer Circle after they spotted his bike shortly before 8am on January 18.

‘I knew straight away what was happening and felt very vulnerable so went to turn around, but they then went into a side road and turned around too,’ he said.

‘The one thing I really didn’t want to happen was to get smashed off the bike because you can really hurt yourself. So, I wanted to be off it and be standing up when they came.’

One of the men leapt off the moped brandishing a hammer and screaming at him to ‘Give me the f***ing bike’.

Cyclists out before the Outer Circle opens to cars (Picture: Nick Edwards)

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the data analyst said he believes the way the robbers seemed to inspect his Trek Domane road bicycle proved the ‘knew what they were doing’.

Patrick – like other cyclists who have experienced or heard of similar attacks – is now fearful of going back to the park.

Instead, many are now meeting up outside and only riding in big groups.

They have called for a greater police presence, especially early in the morning when most cyclists are out.

‘A sting by the police – like the one they did on watch robbers in the West End – would be the obvious next step,’ Patrick added.

Chief Inspector John Hine, from the Royal Parks unit, said bicycle robberies are a ‘key priority for the team’ and they will do all they can to stop the crimes ‘given the violence used in these attacks’.

‘In particular since January, we have stood up additional plain clothes and uniform officers, especially at night and before the park officially opens in the early hours of the morning,’ he added.

The Met urged cyclists to register their bikes with them so they can get a free tracker devide.

They added: ‘Making it harder to sell on stolen bikes through the second-hand market is also crucial, and we would encourage riders to register their bike with us for free so we can track them if they are stolen.’

James Smith