Appeal after two Just Eat riders robbed in Kirkdale

We are appealing for information after two robberies of Just Eat riders were reported in Kirkdale last night (Friday 5 November).

At around 10.40pm it was reported a 35-year-old Just Eat rider was at the traffic lights on Scotland Road, near the junction with Great Homer Street and the large ship’s anchor, when three males approached him and demanded he hand over the electric bike he was riding. 

When the victim refused, he was punched to the face and knocked from the bike, which the offenders then rode off on.

The victim sustained a cut to his lip and damage to his teeth.

A short time later, at about 11pm, another Just Eat rider on an electric bike saw the offenders on the stolen bike and challenged them. He followed the offenders to Lancaster Close, at its junction with Wrexham Street, where they got off the stolen bike. They then punched the 33-year-old man to the face and made off on both stolen bikes in the direction of Wrexham Street.

The first stolen bike was later found abandoned on Lancaster Close at 11.30pm and recovered.

Officers attended and have undertaken house-to-house and CCTV enquiries at the scenes.

Detective Inspector Katherine Ashburner said: “It is disgraceful to think that these two men have been attacked as they went about their jobs trying to earn an honest living, and have had the very means of transport they use to carry out their jobs taken from them.

“We are absolutely determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Nobody should fear being targeted in this way as they go about their jobs, and we have stepped up patrols in the area. But we are also urging cyclists and in particular those undertaking takeaway deliveries to be vigilant following these incidents.

“We are in the early stages of this investigation and would ask anyone who was in the Kirkdale area late on Friday evening who saw anything or anyone suspicious to come forward.

“Similarly, if you were driving on or near Scotland Road or Lancaster Close and have dashcam footage then please review it and if you see any part of the incident or people you suspect may be the offenders, please let us know. Any information you hold could be vital to our investigation.”

If you have any information, please contact us directly via @MerPolCC on Twitter, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, or by calling 101, quoting log 210007711383 or 21000771289.

Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.