'Violent' gang detained for motorbike thefts and kidnap

Four members of a gang that embarked on a "violent" spree of motorbike thefts which saw a teenager kidnapped, have been detained.

Marshall Thomas, 18, Cameron Stevens, 22, and Brandon Carter, 22, all from Hartcliffe in Bristol, were sentenced to 10, eight and three years respectively at Bristol Crown Court earlier.

The trio stole dozens of motorbikes, often in broad daylight, over six months in 2025 worth a combined value of up to £1m, and then bragged about their crimes in social media videos.

Sonnie Davies, 20, also from Hartcliffe, was sentences to three years for kidnapping and violently assaulting a 15-year-old on 30 July last year with Thomas and Carter.

Insp Richard Fear, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the men committed "some of the most horrific, horrendous and devastating acts of violence... within our community".

Fear said the motorbike thefts had originally begun with the gang stealing to order before it escalated.

The group stole high-value bikes of about £10,000 to £25,000 each, causing "significant" harm, in what Fear said was the highest-value case he had seen in his career.

He said: "They believed they were untouchable, they believed that society would not respond and that the police were unable to catch them.

"[But] of course they were caught. They were always going to get caught."

One of the victims was James Lovett, from Brislington, who had his Honda Forza 350 stolen from the bike park at Bristol Temple Meads station on 7 October last year.

"It was an absolute nightmare," he said after it took him three months to get the bike back on the road at a cost of £1,500.

"The reality of it is massive inconvenience and paranoia when you're trying to go about your daily business, you feel your bike isn't safe and you can't park it anywhere," he said.

He said it was "pretty galling" to then see videos on social media with the culprits riding the stolen bikes.

"It's almost like they have no idea of the impact on the victims of their crimes, they just see it as a video game something for them to enjoy and glorify."

The "most harrowing" of the incidents the group carried out was the kidnap, false imprisonment and assault of a 15-year-old child "who they believed had stolen a motorcycle from them at the particular time", Fear said.

The teenager suffered "significant injuries" during the assault. Their head was stamped on and they suffered lacerations.

The attack was also filmed "for no other reason than to cause humiliation and shame upon that individual," Fear said.

Fear said the pattern of offending during the thefts became "increasingly aggravated and increasingly violent" and was often carried out during the day in the middle of public areas.

He added the gang violently attacked members of the public with tools such as angle grinders.

Last December, the group carried out a "violent and horrific attack" on a security guard who tried to stop them stealing a motorbike.

The incident was "pivotal" in the case, Fear said, after the group used the stolen motorbike to look for other bikes and police were able to trace their steps, which consequently led to their arrest.

Fear said some of the gang members were yawning during the police interview process, showing "little to no regard for the devastating trail of impact that they have subsequently caused".

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