Shocking footage shows a gang of masked yobs descending on a Leeds hotel, terrorising the guests in an attempt to steal a staff member’s moped.
Weetwood Hall Estate kitchen porter Gabriel Dima spoke out about the terrifying experience in the hotel courtyard. The incident occurred at 2.24pm on Monday, October 10, at the four-star hotel, near Otley Road in Headingley.
The phone footage shows how penned in guests watched on in horror from inside the hotel as a gang of five arrived on motorbikes in the courtyard to the steal the motor. It’s suspected the thieves were watching from afar and swooped in when Gabriel, 44, removed his moped from the hotel’s dedicated motorcycle rack.
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One of the thieves, wearing a motorbike helmet, then approached the glass door and shouted at guests inside. They then walk back to the bike and unsuccessfully attempts to lug away the moped which fortunately still had its chain connected.
The thief then chucks the moped to the ground, jumps on the back of their partner-in-crime’s motorbike and the gang flees the scene.
“We are the victim in this,” said Weetwood Hall Estate’s general manager Steven Kershaw. He went on to criticise the police’s “slow” response on this and pointed out that criminal youths on bikes are a recurrent problem around Leeds.
West Yorkshire Police has said it is “proactive” in its pursuit to clamp down on biker gangs, which involves telling motorbike owners preventative methods of having their bike stolen.
In this instance, the force has pointed out how Gabriel’s good quality lock saved the bike from being stolen. They've said the case was closed as the thieves had their faces covered and the motorbikes they were driving did not display registration plates.
Gabriel said: “I felt so shocked at first and then really angry. With these guys, anything is possible, they could have a knife or anything.
“I felt shocked because I’ve been targeted five times [around other areas of Leeds]. I’ve asked the police many teams, how can they help me? These guys come and I have nothing to protect myself.”
Gabriel also works as a food delivery driver, so his moped is vital to his livelihood. The hotel’s general manager Steven Kershaw has said Gabriel has since been given a secure area to store his moped.
He’s said that security measures have since been bolstered but didn’t wish to disclose how. He’s added that he doesn’t wish for his staff to get involved in such incidents as it puts them at risk.
The hotel manager said: “We at Weetwood Hall are the victim of a crime that was committed by a group of youths who are active within Leeds.
“Within Leeds and Bradford there have been assaults and deaths through motorbikes groups, who are stealing motorbikes and attacking people. As a business, I’m not sure what we can do about that as it’s a matter for the police.
“However, we have CCTV and security measures in place. The victim was a member of staff and no damage was done to his bike. We take the matter very seriously but this incident is not just related to Weetwood Hall, it’s rife in Leeds – it’s not Weetwood Hall’s problem.
“We’re a victim. If a gang of people who are armed come to a hotel and try to steal a motorbike, there’s a number of choices we can make. We could try to tackle them, which if I had instructed my staff to do that I really wouldn’t be a very good employer.
“We called the police but it took them that long to respond, over an hour, that they’d gone. I don’t know any advice you could give to anyone to tackle armed perpetrators.”
It is not known whether the thieves were armed.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “At 2.24pm on Monday, October 10, police were called to an attempted theft of a moped at Weetwood Hall, in Otley Road, Leeds.
“Five males on three motorbikes had attempted to steal a moped which was parked outside.
“They were unable to remove a lock on the rear wheel and threw the moped to the ground causing damage to it before leaving the scene.
“Details of the incident were immediately broadcast to police units in the area but the suspects were not located. Officers attended the scene to speak to witnesses and recovered phone footage of the incident.
“The males all had their faces covered and the three motorbikes they were on were not displaying registration plates. The investigation has been finalised pending any further information that could assist in identifying the offenders.
“Anyone who has any information that could assist in identifying them is asked to contact officers via 101 quoting crime reference 13220559184 or online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat
“Dedicated operations to proactively target motorbike-related crime are currently ongoing across the Leeds District, supported by the district’s Off-Road Bike Team, officers from the force’s Roads Policing Unit and specialist detectives from Leeds District Crime Team.
“A key focus of this work is engaging with legitimate motorbike users to raise awareness and give crime prevention advice and encourage them to increase their security. This incident clearly illustrates how good quality locks that immobilise the vehicle can help to stop bikes being stolen.”
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