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He apparently reported bike stolen to the police...
He can apparently give you a crime reference then.
Failing which >>>>>>>>>>>
Scilly.Suffolk-
It was £50's worth of hassle either way and I very much doubt I would be able to find a police reference number 5 years after a bike was nicked.
I think the odds are pretty low of him banking on being able to get back a bike he'd sold 5 years ago by lying to bike register. On top of that, his response was what I'd expect: elation when he thought he was getting his bike back, indignance when I'd explained the parts attached to the bike belonged to me and grudging acceptance when I sent him photos of the bike compared to when I'd originally bought it. We're only talking a stock langster here btw, I'd be more suspicious if he was looking for £50 if the bike was worth £1000.
Anyway, maybe I'm a mug but tbh I couldn't be arsed to strip the bike and I'm fairly sure, whether he was the rightful owner or not, it's highly unlikely he'd bother to contact the police or transfer ownership if I started demanding crime ref numbers. Because I probably would think fuck it at that point if I was him.
Moral of the story appears to be don't purchase a second hand bike without the owner transferring the bike register details when you buy it if you don't want to be held hostage for £50.
SlimCharles
Previous owner has got in touch... Bloke appears genuine and clearly isn't the person I purchased the bike from originally. He apparently reported bike stolen to the police but did not register it as stolen on bike register. I suppose whether he reported it as stolen or not on BR doesn't really change the fact it was stolen at the end of the day. I suggested that if he can provide evidence of it I'll give him back the bike minus the parts (so basically frame, forks, stem and handlebars). He's instead suggested, given it's not really the same bike, I pay him £50 and call it quits.