A family was distressed to watch back home security footage and realise masked burglars broke in while they slept.
The balaclava-clad gang prised open the metal door of Jayson Dempsey's garage and stole an e-bike worth more than £10,000.
They found a way to trip sensors so they were undetected for 20 minutes until a burglar alarm eventually went off in the garage at the home in Scone, Perthshire.
Jayson, Lorna and their two kids were asleep at the time but have since watched footage of the raid, recorded on their home security device.
Jayson, 44, said: "I’m gutted. It’s very upsetting for everyone.
"I guess the one good thing is they only went for one thing, the bike in the garage. They made no attempt to get into the main house."
The Mondraker Model R, which was even chained and bolted to the garage floor, was Jayson's pride and joy, the Daily Record reports.
Police arrived at the property 10 minutes after Jayson called them, once he and his family had been woken by the alarm at around 2.45am on May 27.
They are still investigating but Jayson and Lorna's children have been affected hugely by the burglary.
Their 13-year-old daughter has been unwilling to sleep in her own room, which is above the garage, since.
"She now feels unsafe in her own home," said Lorna, a 45-year-old early years care inspector.
"My heart was beating out my chest when the alarm went off and we saw pictures."
One of the intruders, who had apparently taken care to crouch at a low level to avoid cameras, stood fully upright and triggered a motion sensor.
A man caught on camera is seen with his face covered by a balaclava, holding a torch. A second male is believed to have been in the garage with him.
A third man had been positioned outside as a look-out.
The family home was targeted previously in 2021. Police Scotland caught and prosecuted the thieves then.
Following this, Jayson installed cameras, sensors, alarms and took care to tether the e-bike, as it was his big hobby.
Over three years of owning it, the engineer had made numerous modifications to it so that only the frame was original.
Lorna said: “It was his pride and joy. Jayson devoted much time and money to making the bike special.
“The week before it was taken, he went to an Enduro-type bike competition at Glenlivet.
“He was racing in a specialist section for e-bikes. We think he could possibly have been followed home.”
Lorna also heard about an e-bike and a conventional mountain bike being taken from locked farm buildings in Rait last Monday, May 29, just two days after the Dempseys in Scone were targeted.
At Rait the two bikes, a grey 22 Heckler e-bike and a black 21 Megatower mountain bike with red forks, both marked ‘Santa Cruz’ were taken. Together they were estimated to be worth £20,000.
“I feel this break-in may be connected to the recent theft in Rait where two bikes were stolen,” Lorna said.
“Rait is not that far away and the break-in was well executed.”
Anyone with information which could help police with the Scone incident should call 101 quoting the incident CR-0097270-23.
