'Thief rammed my son off his bike and held him at knifepoint in broad daylight'

A man has been left horrified after being rammed off his bike and held at knife point while travelling home from work. His dad recalled that he had taken the bike to travel to work at an apprenticeship when someone on a motor cross bike had donned a balaclava and rammed him.

The father and son, who did not wish to be named, shared how the thief, described as having long blonde hair, had come up behind him at around 2pm on December 11. The attacker had put on a balaclava to cover his face, before ramming the cyclist to the ground.

When the cyclist tried to get back to the bike, the thief pulled out a knife and threatened to stab him, before making off with the bike. A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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The dad said: "My son was going to work, he's an apprentice. We couldn't take him to work, so he went on the bike.

"When he was returning from work he was approached by a lad who's on a black motor cross. As he came close he pulled a balaclava over his head and came past him."

He added: "Then he turned round and rammed the bike to knock him off it. As my son turned to get the bike back he got a knife and said he's going to stab him, saying 'move away from the bike or else I will stab you.

"There's people about. There was an old lady on a bike and there was a man that was running. He rang 999 and the police told him they would send someone to him and to stay where he was."

After reaching his son, who was around 40 minutes from where he was, the dad said they waited for the police. He said: "We hung around for 20 minutes and the police didn't come, so I took him home.

"They came to the house about three hours later and took a report."

Sharing how he felt after the incident, the dad said: "He's devastated. Obviously just circumstances where he took the bike, and to be rammed off a bike and held at knife point in broad daylight, it just doesn't make sense."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police told the M.E.N. that a crime of robbery had been reported to them. They added that enquiries are ongoing.