A BOY was robbed at knifepoint by a man who hurled him from his bike before stealing it as he was returning home from school.

The 15-year-old boy was cycling on East Street at 3.40pm on February 5 when he was attacked, causing the teenager to fall backwards from his bike.

The thief stole the bike after the boy fell to the floor, fleeing onto London Road towards the Tesco Express on Crown Street.

The boy was not injured, but has been left distressed by the attack

The offender is described as a white man in his mid to late twenties, who was 5ft 7ins tall and had a thin face. He was wearing a dark material jacket with hood.

The stolen bicycle was a grey and orange VooDoo Bantu mountain bike, frame number 447022479. 

Investigating officer, detective constable Andrew Carroll, of Reading CID, said: "Although the boy was not injured, he was left shocked and distressed by this incident and we are keen to catch the man responsible.

"The incident happened shortly after the end of the school day and there would have been a lot of potential witnesses in a busy route in the centre of Reading.

"If you saw the offender cycling in the area, or have information that can help our investigation, please call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number, 101, quoting reference 43180037985.

"Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."

If you have any information relating to this case, please call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.