A disabled Galway man has been targeted by heartless thieves, who stole his only mode of transport from the city at the weekend. Liam Cullinane was socialising with friends at Halo nightclub when his three-wheeled bicycle was stolen from outside the venue on Abbeygate Street.

The Castlegar man, who previously served with the French Foreign Legion, was struck down with the rare condition of Listerial Meningitis in 1993, which affected his mobility and speech.

As a result, he finds travelling by car difficult, as his body to go stiff. He had been making huge progress since learning to use the tricycle. However, he has now been left shocked and saddened by the theft of his only means of transportation and has made an emotional appeal for its return.

Speaking to the Galway Independent yesterday, Mr Cullinane said that bouncers at the city nightclub noticed that the tricycle was still chained on Abbeygate Street when they reopened the doors at 2.40am. However, by the time Liam left the nightclub at 3am, it had been stolen.

A friend of Mr Cullinane proceeded to ask passersby and nearby rickshaw drivers if they had seen anyone steal the bike and traced it to the Dominick Street junction. There have been no sightings of the bike since, although it is believed that CCTV from Halo nightclub has shown two females with the tricycle on the night in question.

The tailor-made bike is the only one of its kind in Ireland and cost Mr Cullinane €3,000 just a few months ago. This is the not the first time that he had experienced such a theft, as a similar bicycle belonging to him was stolen three times back in 1996.

After a long struggle with his debilitating disease, Mr Cullinane has developed an independent life for himself and has been dealt a huge blow by the loss of his tricycle.

"I would ask that if anyone knows where it is that they call the Gardaí and let them know. I just want to get it back," he said.

The bicycle itself has two front wheels and one wheel at the rear. It is maroon in colour and has a basket attached to the front. Gardaí at Mill Street Station are currently conducting an investigation into the incident and can be contacted on 091-538000.

Comments (1) »

Unbelievable
written by Elisa, October 22, 2009

I really have no words to describe this. I'll try it anyway: we live in a very sad society, full of sad people.
Ciao Liam, you're simply the best!

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