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A man whose electric bike was stolen and who posted footage of the theft online is being sued for defamation and facing a police probe after the Albanian thief complained when he was identified.
The bizarre case happened in Caerano di San Marco, in the province of Treviso, Italy, on 7th August.
Surveillance footage showed a man entering the courtyard of a private home through an open gate in broad daylight.
He is seen getting on a Lancia Genio e-bike worth more than EUR 1,500 (GBP 1,294) and riding away.
The victim, named Cristian, said his wife and children were at home at the time but did not notice the theft.
He reported the incident to the authorities and posted the video on social media, describing the stolen model, the suspect’s physical features, and a tattoo on his left wrist.
He also claimed the man had been spotted shortly before in a local bar.
The footage quickly went viral, and several locals identified the suspect, an Albanian national who lives nearby.
Cristian suspected it might be a neighbour since the bike is almost never left outside, saying: "He knew it was there; it wasn't a coincidence."
He later confronted the man, who admitted to the theft, apologised, and claimed to have abandoned the bike in Caerano after seeing the video circulate online.
The bicycle was never recovered.
By that evening, the suspect filed a defamation complaint against the bike's owner, claiming that the publication of the video had unjustly damaged his reputation, describing the content as biased.
In the complaint, the suspect objected to the failure to blur his face, the absence of prior notification to the relevant authorities, and what he called "defamatory sensationalism" that had incited hatred against him.
He also allegedly warned that he would sue anyone continuing to share the footage for defamation.
Cristian said the man's family also asked for his last name to be removed from posts.
The case is now with judicial authorities, who are investigating both the theft and the potential legal consequences of distributing the images.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Mike Leidig
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Video Editor: David Stojkovic
Byline Copychecker: Angela Trajkovska
Byline Illustrator: Angela Trajkovska
Byline News Editor: Mike Leidig
Geography: Caerano_di_San_Marco
Subject: Emergency, Police, Legal, Crime, Theft, Social media, Society
T4 Editor Story Rating: 8
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 7
T4 Total rating: 7.5
