Blind man's appeal after e-bike taken in heartless theft

DAILY life just got a whole lot harder for 31-year-old Luke Rossington of Cardiff who has had his only mode of transport stolen at the weekend.

31-year-old Luke Rossington, with his partner Rebecca and their baby, Arleena, in the room from which his e-bike was stolen. Picture by Marina Neil.

Mr Rossington, who is legally blind, is unable to obtain a driver's licence and relies on his electric bike to travel to and from work at Warners Bay.

But his very distinctive-looking e-bike was stolen from the house he shares with his partner, Rebecca, their six-month-old baby girl, Arleena, and two girls six and nine, sometime between 10pm Saturday and 7am on Sunday.

"I was awake until about 2am but I didn't hear anything," Mr Rossington said.

The thief, or thieves, broke into a sunroom at the front of the house where the bike was kept, and were likely wearing gloves, police say.

Lake Macquarie Police have made a public appeal for information about the theft saying there have been possible sightings of the bike in Newcastle.

The e-bike is described as having a custom-frame in the style of an old 'Indian' brand motorcycle with an aftermarket throttle.

The distinctive-looking e-bike stolen from a home in Cardiff at the weekend, and which belongs to a father of three who lives with a vision-impairment and relies on it for transport.

Mr Rossington's vision impairment is a mix of being short sighted, colour blind and glare intolerant, making him ineligible for a driver's licence.

"I wanted to be independent rather than relying on people to drive me," he said.

He saved for months for the e-bike which he had been eyeing off for a long time. A work mate is now having to go out of his way to take Luke to and from work.

"I'm a strong believer in making your own way," Mr Rossington said.

"I was born with this condition but I don't like relying on people, it irks me."

Luke Rossington on the e-bike which was stolen from his home at Cardiff.

Luke's mother, Lisa Scott, said her son has been robbed of his independence when he needs it more than ever, as a father to two kids and a baby. "That is his independence," she said. "If he wants to go down the street, he will ride his bike.

"We've all got vehicles, he doesn't. "

Mrs Scott said it was heartbreaking as a mother to find out that her child was going to grow up "not seeing things", or ever drive a car.

"We know the sky is blue and the grass is green but what does he see. He sees shades of grey.

"So for him to buy himself an e-bike to get around rather than paying for taxis or having to walk around everywhere, that's a massive confidence boost and that's been taken away from him.

"Does this person need that bike more than him? It's not a normal e-bike, it's a very distinctive bike ... surely someone knows something."

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at: www1.police.nsw.gov.au/