A teenager claims she was threatened by a pair of knife wielding thugs who tried to steal her motorbike.
Gina Gleeson, 18, was running late for work in Moreton, Wirral, yesterday and left her motorbike unlocked outside the dental practice where she works.
The 18-year-old said she planned to return to the bike later that morning to secure it.
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Gina told the ECHO : “I always park my bike outside of work by the Shell garage and lock it up, it’s just something I always do and it’s part of my routine.
"But yesterday I was running really late so I didn’t lock it up for the first time just so I could hurry up. I just said 'I’ll go out soon and do it'.”
At around 9.40am, one of Gina’s colleagues looked out of the window and noticed two people acting suspiciously near the bike.
Gina, who works as a dental receptionist, said: “My colleague looked out of the window and saw two boys by the bike but she thought they were just a couple of our patients admiring it.
“But then one of them got onto it and that’s when she shouted me and told me what was happening.”
Gina immediately ran to confront the two boys and claims they waved a knife in her face, forcing her to back away.
The 18-year-old said: “When I saw them they were both sat on the bike so I ran towards the smaller one who was sat on the back to try and grab him off.
“I shouted at them to get off and they replied 'nah mate, f**k off'.
“Next thing, one of them pulled a knife on me and I moved back. They headed off down the road with the bike.”
Gina attempted to chase the two boys down Hoylake Road in Moreton when she noticed an older man running towards her from the garage.
Gina added: “As I was running I looked to my side and I saw a man coming towards me.
“He ran past me running towards the two lads and he managed to grab them and got them off the bike.
“He helped me with the bike and told me he had saw the knife too so at least someone else had seen it as well.”
A number of passers-by helped Gina to pick her bike up off the floor - but she claims it was “badly damaged” in the incident.
Gina said: “It just feels like it is one thing after the other this year and then with it being right on top of Christmas as well, it’s just not great.
“The bike is so badly damaged I’ve just got no hope it’s going to be covered.”
Labelling the boys “knife wielding thugs”, Gina’s nan Sandy Doran said: “Gina relies on her bike to get to work."
Earlier this year Gina was awarded for her Outstanding Act of Bravery at the ECHO Awards, along with her mum Emma Gleeson.
Emma and Gina bravely waived their right to anonymity after Trevor Gleeson was jailed for a catalogue of abuse against them.
The 18-year-old said she regularly suffers with panic attacks which have worsened after yesterday's events.
Gina said: “I haven't been great I’ll be honest.
“I have bad panic attacks already for the other stuff that has happened in my past and then I had so many yesterday.
“I’ve not gone into work today so I could spend the day sorting the insurance out and calm down.
"It was just really scary."
Gina reported the incident to police.
