By Kirsty Topping
Kris spend 1200 on the bike – only to have it given back to the original owner
A MAN who bought a motorbike from a police auction was astounded when they seized it just weeks later, telling him it had been stolen.
Kris Lech, 29, bought the Yamaha 125DT for 500 from an official police sale of recovered vehicles.
He then spent a further 700 on fixing it up.
But when he went to register the bike with the DVLA it was flagged up as stolen.
Tayside Police seized the vehicle and searched Kris’s home for other
“stolen property’, leaving him
“highly embarrassed’ and
“stressed.”
The motorbike has now been returned to its original owner, leaving Kris out of pocket and demanding an apology from the police.
The handyman, who is originally from Poland and lives near Edinburgh, said:
“I went to the auction because I have bought things from police auctions before and I have had no problems.
“I paid for the bike, transported it home, ordered new parts to fix it up, put most of the new parts on the bike and sent off to the DVLA to register it.
“Then on July 6, six police officers came to my house and searched the whole place while I was at work.
“My girlfriend was highly stressed and angry and I was devastated when I found out it was gone after all the work I’d done.
“I felt embarrassed that people in the street had seen what had happened when I am decent and hardworking.
“I was told to contact Drylaw police station the next day to find out more about the bike but even though I have done so three times I have heard nothing about getting any money back. They took all the old parts and the new parts I bought.”He added: “I would like answers. You don’t expect to be buying something dodgy at a police auction.”
Police insiders said that they had never seen such a gaffe.
The bike, which was reported stolen from a house in Carnoustie in March, was confiscated by police after being ridden around Dundee without number plates but did not show up as stolen on the police national computer system.
Records showed the bike was registered to an address in Carnoustie but officers visiting the property found the occupants knew nothing about it.
The bike was auctioned off three months later but officers ordered the raid on Kris’ house when the DVLA computers showed the bike was stolen.
A police source said: “This guy bought the bike at a police auction, completely legit, and it seems there has been a double whammy of errors – a mistake on the computer system and a possible human error. Somewhere in the system there has been a serious breakdown. There are checks in place to stop this sort of thing, but the system isn’t perfect.
“I’ve never heard of anything like it. It’s unbelievable that this has happened, but it has. I’m pretty sure this guy would be high on the list for compensation.”
A Tayside Police spokesman said: “We can confirm the vehicle had been reported stolen and inquiries are ongoing.”
He added that a letter was being sent to Kris with details of a refund for the purchase of the bike.
