A mum and her son are crowdfunding in order to repair a stolen motorbike, which was recovered recently by police, but is too damaged to be roadworthy.

Lawrence Hales was robbed last September, as he pulled up to work one morning in Colliers Wood.

Seeing a man run out onto the street, he slowed down to offer help, but was caught off guard when the man grabbed his clutch and threatened him with a knife.

The twenty-one-year-old was forced to give up his bike, which he said gave him his independence.

The vehicle was eventually recovered by police 10 months later, however, Lawrence’s relief was short-lived.

“When I got the call to say they had recovered my bike in East London it was such a surreal moment, it was pure happiness,” he said.

When he was reunited with the bike, the true expense of the repairs sunk in.

Your Local Guardian:

Stolen bike with extensive damage to inside

The family says that his insurance company are refusing to cover the costs, even though Lawrence took out an inclusive policy. Lawrence is even more out of pocket, as he is still required to pay finance on the stolen bike.

Left without a mode of transport, Lawrence says his life has been drastically impacted.

He had to change jobs, as his old workplace, Europa Cars, was tricky to access via buses and trains.

Since the pandemic, this has become even more impossible, as Lawrence was born with a heart murmur so avoids public transport.

Money raised will go towards buying a new ignition barrel and keys, seat, tank and exhaust. Other repairs to the fairing, panels and any cosmetic damage and scratches can also be done if with sufficient funds.

Currently, the family have raised £210 out of £1000 target. They are aiming to get the bike to the garage by the end of August 2020.

Laurence’s mum, Lynne, said:

“It would mean the world to me as his mum, to be able to get Lawrence back on the road, reduce his stress levels and demonstrate that there are good people out there willing to help the little man when he's down,”

You can donate to their Gofundme page here.