Edinburgh tourist 'unable to sleep' as thieves strike minutes after hotel check-in
A German tourist visiting Edinburgh was left 'unable to sleep' after his motorbike was stolen just six minutes after leaving it outside a hotel.
Sascha Bergmann, 40, travelled to Scotland with a group of pals to complete the North Coast 500 route. But, their trip was cut short when his beloved Africa Twin was stolen on Friday, September 13. The following night, his friends' motorbikes were also stolen in Middlesbrough, England, reports Edinburgh Live.
Sascha has travelled to different parts of the world - but only ever experienced theft like this in Edinburgh.
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He said: "On Friday, we decided to stay at a hotel in Murrayfield. We considered it a little bit more on the expensive side, but we picked it because it has a big parking spot. Right outside the window of the reception, there is enough light with several street lamps and CCTV. It looked secure to us.
"At 9.30pm, we came home from the city centre and the next morning my friends told me my motorbike was missing. I couldn't believe it at first. We went to the receptionist and they showed us the CCTV."
The tourist said the footage showed two people on a moped-type scooter riding up to his bike at 9.36pm - just six minutes after he had left it.
He said: "It took them one minute and 46 seconds to break all my security measures and wheel the bike outside the CCTV picture. One person was sitting on top and the other pushing with the scooter.
"I wanted to stay for an additional 48 hours, so if there was any chance, that the bike would re-appear, I would be there to manage things, but after that, I took a plane home.
"My friends kept on riding as we had booked hotels and we didn't want to lose money. The next day, in England, they were aware what could happen and parked their bikes behind high fences, around the hotel, in a spot that wasn't visible from the street.
"That turned out to be a mistake. As there is some live surveillance and somebody is sitting there watching, there was no recording of their bike theft. Yes, the other two people got robbed of their motorbike as well, more to the south. They had to fly home as well."
The 40-year-old continued: "At first I couldn't really grasp it. It was like 'is this holiday really over a week early?' I thought maybe just some punks would roll it around and we would find it without gasoline. I thought I could maybe find it when I was out walking, and I was looking in every bush.
"I think the realisation came around midnight. I read up on the internet about motorbike thefts in Edinburgh and was really baffled. So many entries, groups and postings about that topic. I couldn't sleep all night, hoping there would be some clues as to where my bike would be.
"Nothing like this has every happened. We save up for these big trips and then go to some far away destinations. We went to Albania and the Balkan states, My friend Schweizer was riding through Pakistan and Iran to go to India. Nothing was ever stolen from us.
"I first came to Scotland in 2015 and had the impression it was easy to find a nice bed and breakfast and I loved the countryside, but we didn't have time for Highlands.
"So we visited again as a group now, to ride and see the north 500. This time the holiday was very different, now that the curtain has fallen. There is a huge issue with motorbike theft there, and it large amounts."
Luckily, Sascha has been notified that his motorbike was found in the back garden of a property, but he said it was damaged and is working his way through paperwork to get it back - along with his friend's bikes.
He added: "The bike is in a condition, that even if it was found earlier, I couldn't have ridden it home. The lock on the steering lock was busted open, there is the risk of jamming while riding. Some electronic wires of the battery have been ripped loose so that they could put the wires directly to the electric starter. That was how they wheeled it away it seems."
Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
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