Thieves steal bikes worth over £100k from injured former Royal Marine who survived three IED blasts in Afghanistan

Steve McCulley, a former Royal Marine officer, has survived three IED blasts and he was seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2011, which put him in a coma for nearly three weeks which resulted in him needing rehabilitation for three years.

When he realised that his career in the military was over, he made the decision to start his own business, LIOS Bikes, which is based in Lee-on-the-Solent.

The Royal Marines Charity helped him achieve his dream for opening up his business in between surgeries and rehabilitation – but on September 2, thieves broke into the site and stole 11 bikes worth over £100,000.

Despite having taken all possible security precautions to protect LIOS’ valuable stock, including the extensive presence of metal gates and shutters, 24 hour monitored alarm and CCTV cameras.

Steve has shared footage of the incident which captures the crime unravel, and it is not the first time that the shop has been broken into.

Steve said: “We are all utterly devastated by what happened on Saturday. I know I’ll never get the bikes back, as they’re probably already stripped down, but I am hoping that any attention that this gets might help to catch the criminals.”

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Five persons in a large van and a car, plus two ‘look-outs’ on mopeds were involved in Saturday morning’s burglary, using petrol and battery disc cutters to cut through the metal shutters and door.

Local businesses and many people across the country are all hugely supporting by sharing the video of the burglary, and one of Steve’s former colleagues posted on his own social media site: “Any burglary or theft is horrendous, but this adds another despicable dimension. Steve has spent most of his life in the service of others. These evil people must be brought to justice.”

Steve has worked tirelessly over the past few years to get his business off of the ground and it has become very successful – but this incident, which is not the first time this has happened, has devastated the former serviceman.