***this popped up on my Facebook feed, no connection but thought it might be worth posting here for the locals***
APPEAL: Officers appeal for help to identify riders who may be able to help enquiries
Officers from the force’s Off-Road Bike Intervention Team (ORBIT) have released these images of a group of people they would like to speak to in connection with a reported incident of assault and criminal damage.
It is reported that at about 2.15pm on Saturday 5 March, the victim was cycling on a bridle path called Cut Gate in Rivelin Valley, near to Rivelin Valley Road. A group on off-road motorcycles approached her and words were exchanged between the victim and one of the group. The group then surrounded the victim and spun their wheels in the mud, covering the cyclist. One of the group then grabbed the victim’s rucksack and tried to pull them off while another rider kicked their pushbike.
The incident led to a camera used by the victim to record their cycling being broken.
Enquiries are ongoing but officers are keen to identify any of the group in the images or their motorcycles as they may be able to assist with enquiries.
PC Jamie Walker, from the ORBIT team, said: “Unfortunately, this was yet another example of the minority giving the majority of law abiding motorcyclists a bad name. This was not anti-social behaviour, the matter is being dealt with as a police investigation of assault and criminal damage.
“In addition to the police investigation, any riders identified during enquiries will be referred to Natural England with regards to offences of damaging a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).”
Do you recognise either the riders or their vehicles that may be able to help us with our enquiries?
If you have any information, please contact 101 quoting incident number 975 of 5 March, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Alternatively, you can stay completely anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers via their website https://zcu.io/j3Y5 or by calling their UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.