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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What would you do about this? Balaclava dcs.

26 replies

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 09:55

There's a house in our street with a young lad living there. He rides around on a fast electric bike wearing a balaclava. His friends congregate at his house. Some also wear the balaclavas and ride the bikes. They ride fast and erratically and there'll be a day soon when one or more is injured killed or the same happens to someone else. The lad is left home alone a lot often overnight. I've kept out if it so far but last night one of them almost got run off the road near our house. The driver was manic. I understand she was angry but she drove fast and was trying to knock him off. We were walking back from town and I'd just said to dh one of them will get injured soon. Then that happened.

It's more a wwyd? The police would need to catch them. They can't chase them. The lad is school age and doesn't go. Would SS be interested?

Dh is getting sick too. Especially with them all congregating outside.

Maybe the local councillor could advise?

Has anyone had to deal with something similar?

OP posts:
randomchap · 06/08/2026 10:16

Have you tried crimestoppers? You can report anonymously there.

If someone was trying to knock someone off their bike with their car then that's a serious issue. The police need to know

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 10:19

randomchap · 06/08/2026 10:16

Have you tried crimestoppers? You can report anonymously there.

If someone was trying to knock someone off their bike with their car then that's a serious issue. The police need to know

Yes if I'd been able to catch her registration I'd have reported her. He ended up riding on the pavement to get away from her. What if someone had been walking there?

Thanks I'll report to them.

OP posts:
DoctorDr · 06/08/2026 10:30

Hassle 101 relentlessly. Report everytime there's antisocial behaviour. Encourage DH and neighbours to do so also.

randomchap · 06/08/2026 10:36

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 10:19

Yes if I'd been able to catch her registration I'd have reported her. He ended up riding on the pavement to get away from her. What if someone had been walking there?

Thanks I'll report to them.

A description of the vehicle might be enough to catch her. Anyone using a vehicle as a weapon needs to be caught and punished

Reminded me of this case

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75gzknn1q2o

The guy got 17 years for murder

A mugshot of Terrence King who is staring directly at the camera with no expression on his face

Man who drove at and killed boy riding stolen e-bike jailed

Terrence King acted not in an "attempt to recover the bike but to get revenge or punish the boy".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c75gzknn1q2o

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 10:36

DoctorDr · 06/08/2026 10:30

Hassle 101 relentlessly. Report everytime there's antisocial behaviour. Encourage DH and neighbours to do so also.

I've just done the online report to crimestoppers.

They're notorious around here. Nothing can be done though. Hopefully someone will warn them and this lad will get looked after. He's my main worry atm. It makes me so sad. My adult dcs were brought up well with caring adults. He doesn't seem to have anyone?

Plus the worry about someone being hurt.

OP posts:
IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 10:43

@randomchap we can't remember sadly. I'll keep a look out though as she's probably local. I just asked Dh. He thought the car was red I thought blue 🙈 She was blonde and young I remember that. I looked at her and then the bike. She was so close I'm amazed he didn't come off.

OP posts:
BauhausOfEliott · 06/08/2026 10:49

You could contact your local authority's Antisocial Behaviour team about this - they might be able to advise on what, if anything, can be done.

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 10:52

Call 101. The e-bikes are probably not e-bikes at all - they will be electric motorcycles being illegally ridden on the public road without registration, MOT, or insurance. Relentlessly hassle the police until they are seized.

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 11:13

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 10:52

Call 101. The e-bikes are probably not e-bikes at all - they will be electric motorcycles being illegally ridden on the public road without registration, MOT, or insurance. Relentlessly hassle the police until they are seized.

Yes you could be right as they're very fast.

OP posts:
IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 11:15

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 10:52

Call 101. The e-bikes are probably not e-bikes at all - they will be electric motorcycles being illegally ridden on the public road without registration, MOT, or insurance. Relentlessly hassle the police until they are seized.

Dh just said they're modified ebikes.

OP posts:
SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 14:09

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 11:15

Dh just said they're modified ebikes.

An e-bike, by law, has a motor limited to 250W, the motor cuts out at 15.5mph, and the motor can only be activated by pedalling (no twist throttle allowed).

These "modified e-bikes" are according to the law, motorcycles and need to be registered, licenced, MOT'd and insured.

Insanely, the selling of such electric motorcycles is completely unregulated - you can go on Aliexpress or eBay and have one delivered to your door ready to assemble no questions asked.

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 17:34

@SadiraOfTyr oh they go faster than that!

OP posts:
Anarchy99 · 06/08/2026 17:40

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 10:36

I've just done the online report to crimestoppers.

They're notorious around here. Nothing can be done though. Hopefully someone will warn them and this lad will get looked after. He's my main worry atm. It makes me so sad. My adult dcs were brought up well with caring adults. He doesn't seem to have anyone?

Plus the worry about someone being hurt.

It sounds like people need protecting from him, not that he needs to be looked after. It sounds like he is a total nuisance and I imagine this won’t be the only time he falls foul of a driver. Did you see what led up to her reacting like that? Pound to a penny it was his riding that led to it.

I’m not condoning what the woman did but if he is going to ride like a twat, he will find not everyone will be patient with him.

He could injure or kill someone.

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 18:03

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 17:34

@SadiraOfTyr oh they go faster than that!

It's not the speed after all a normal push bike can go much faster than 15.5mph - it's the fact that the motor legally has to cut out at 15.5mph - beyond that you must be under your own steam.

looselegs · 06/08/2026 18:37

Problem is, they think they're invincible!
A 21 year old lad near where my daughter lives was killed riding something similar a few weeks ago.....straight into a bus...no helmet....or protective clothing. Was his fault and not the bus driver's. Funeral was the following week....loads of the same following the hearse....they think it's big and clever but it's not.

JohnofWessex · 06/08/2026 20:02

Many years ago I made a report about lads on mopeds near my allotment as I had identified the house they lived in

Police were aware and did take action

So report with all the details to Police, Social services and the local authority

Could it be a Council or Housing association property in which case they should be interested as well

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 20:18

Anarchy99 · 06/08/2026 17:40

It sounds like people need protecting from him, not that he needs to be looked after. It sounds like he is a total nuisance and I imagine this won’t be the only time he falls foul of a driver. Did you see what led up to her reacting like that? Pound to a penny it was his riding that led to it.

I’m not condoning what the woman did but if he is going to ride like a twat, he will find not everyone will be patient with him.

He could injure or kill someone.

He wasn't on the bike was one of his friends. He's a big lad you can tell when it's him. He's a teenager with a parent who leaves him overnight alone and he isn't in school. Shit parenting imo.

OP posts:
IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 20:20

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 18:03

It's not the speed after all a normal push bike can go much faster than 15.5mph - it's the fact that the motor legally has to cut out at 15.5mph - beyond that you must be under your own steam.

Oh I know I've cycled. These go really fast without pedalling.

OP posts:
IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 20:21

JohnofWessex · 06/08/2026 20:02

Many years ago I made a report about lads on mopeds near my allotment as I had identified the house they lived in

Police were aware and did take action

So report with all the details to Police, Social services and the local authority

Could it be a Council or Housing association property in which case they should be interested as well

I hope it stopped? It's antisocial behaviour. Plus bloody dangerous.

OP posts:
JesseDavisGonnaHangOnInThereNSoul · 06/08/2026 20:34

And when they come a cropper it always oh he was a loveable rogue blah blah
Cue balloon /lantern release.
Nope they're anti social fuckers and if you're not doing anything wrong.
Why be masked up.

SadiraOfTyr · 06/08/2026 20:58

JesseDavisGonnaHangOnInThereNSoul · 06/08/2026 20:34

And when they come a cropper it always oh he was a loveable rogue blah blah
Cue balloon /lantern release.
Nope they're anti social fuckers and if you're not doing anything wrong.
Why be masked up.

"cheekie chappie", "heart of gold"

aka absolute bloody yob

user1471550643 · 06/08/2026 21:24

It happens where I live too (in a village!) , same with scrambler motorcycles… quite often stolen. The police seem to be able to confiscate the bike if they can catch them , but seem to have difficulty prosecuting because they say they can’t identify the person as they are wearing a balaclava!

TheOccupier · 06/08/2026 22:05

This kid and his mates are probably either drug dealers or phone snatchers based on your description. I'm not sure why you feel the need to worry about them. Report the family to social services maybe?

Anarchy99 · 06/08/2026 22:10

IsItSewEasy · 06/08/2026 20:18

He wasn't on the bike was one of his friends. He's a big lad you can tell when it's him. He's a teenager with a parent who leaves him overnight alone and he isn't in school. Shit parenting imo.

Well then his friends are risking being hurt too. And however shit the parenting, it isn’t an excuse to behave like that.

Like I said, I don’t condone the actions of the driver but as someone upthread said, these idiots are always excused as being ‘cheeky chappies’. It’s possible they were winding her up.

They may well end up on the receiving end of some big bloke’s fist one day if they aren’t stopped.

Report to police, school and social services. It’s for their own good as much as for everyone else

Pearofplums · 06/08/2026 22:15

You can't really stop them from getting themselves into an accident if that's how they want to behave.