A serial thief punched a man in the face and robbed him of his bike as he stood on his own doorstep.
David Appleby spotted the victim cycling home from work in Newcastle then approached him as he went inside his address. A court heard that the 32-year-old brazenly claimed the bike was his before unsuccessfully trying to grab it off him.
Undeterred by the victim holding on, Appleby lashed out and struck him in the eye before making of with the pedal cycle, prosecutors said. However, unbeknown to him, the whole incident was captured on CCTV and he was identified.
