dave M said:
I think if you buy something that is stolen, even unknowingly, it is never a legal sale regardless of how many 'innocent' purchasers it has been through. I hope the old boy is still fit enough to ride the bike, I'll bet it's in better shape now than when it was stolen.
If you try and recover something from a pawn broker that is stolen, it is a hell of a legal battle. !
Even if it was just yesterday...
I know of someone who had to buy his own bicycle back.
Luckily they didn't know its true value, was more a token amount.