Shannon Coulter’s bike was last week stolen in front of her on the doorstep of her Grand Bouet home. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0865868)

AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl’s new bike was snatched from her doorstep by a boy who verbally abused her and then rode away.

Amherst pupil Shannon Coulter was so excited about her new BMX she insisted it was carried upstairs into her bedroom on the night of her birthday two weeks ago.

The brand new cerise pink BMX Flite was taken on Friday evening.

Shannon had returned to her house to get her dolls but when she got back to her bike was face to face with the thief. ‘There was an older boy on her bike. Shannon said please can you get off my bike, but he said no,’ said stepfather Andrew Castle.

The boy, described as between 15 and 18 years old and wearing a dark hooded top and Burberry-style baseball cap, swore at Shannon and rode off on her cycle.

‘I can’t believe he had the nerve to come right up to the door and take it and to say what he said was just awful. I was fuming. How can anyone be so cruel?’ said Shannon’s mum, Gemma Coulter.

The incident happened at around 6.30pm in the Grand Bouet. The family moved into the rebuilt estate four years ago.

‘She came straight back inside and was crying her eyes out saying someone had taken her bike. She is devastated,’ said Mr Castle.

* If you have any information about Shannon’s bike, please contact the police on 725111.