A NEWPORT father who is battling a life-threatening brain tumour suffered more anguish when his motorbike was stolen and destroyed by vandals just days before undergoing treatment.

James Tanner, 31, saved up for almost 10 years to purchase his Kawasaki ZR600, a bike described as "his pride and joy".

Yet the weekend before potentially life-saving radiotherapy, his bike was stolen from outside his Bideford Close house in Maesglas and burnt by vandals.

"They took it in the middle of the night and I didn't even know it was gone until a policeman came around the next day.

"It was found 200 yards away burnt out."

Mr Tanner's partner Donna Mapp, 26, said: "It's his pride and joy. I can't believe people can do this."

Mr Tanner's benign tumour was diagnosed two years ago but specialists at both the Royal Gwent and the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, advised him to wait before undergoing treatment.

"The tumour was about two-and-a-half centimetres big. I was told if it didn't grow it would be all right, but if it got to more than three centimetres they'd have to operate," Mr Tanner said.

Doctors advised Mr Tanner the best course of action was stereotactic radiotherapy - a one time treatment involving a frame being screwed to the patient's head before gamma rays are emitted killing the tumour.

"When they told me about it at Cardiff I couldn't take it all in. So I rang back and did some research on the internet.

"I had to wear the frame on my head for eight hours, but it was very lightweight."

Stereotactic radiotherapy is not yet available in Wales so Mr Tanner was forced to travel to Sheffield's Weston Park Hospital.

He now faces up to a six month wait to see if the treatment was successful.

Mr Tanner says he reported the theft of his bike to police.