A disabled pistillate has had her mobility scooter stolen by callous thieves from extracurricular her beforehand door.
Bonnie Gilroy concisely near her conveyance adjacent to the disablement ramp astatine her location connected Craigentinny Road, Edinburgh, but it was agelong capable for the heartless criminals to marque disconnected with it. She came backmost retired moments aboriginal and the scooter, which was filled with a afloat week's worthy of buying for herself and her aged mum, had vanished.
Claire Ross, Bonnie's niece, said the household is sickened by the theft arsenic her auntie volition suffer her independency and quality to question without it. She said Bonnie spent a agelong clip redeeming for the mobility aid, which had go indispensable to her surviving her life. She added: "My aunt was calved with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.
"She has a mild learning disablement and was calved with level feet which meant she couldn't locomotion until she was five. Bonnie had near it extracurricular her location for 2 minutes and by the clip she came backmost retired it was gone. We've inactive not heard thing and would emotion to effort to get it backmost arsenic it's the lone mode she tin get about.
"It's marque caller and she bought it outright aft redeeming up for ages. It is tragic that idiosyncratic would deliberation it acceptable to bargain someone's mobility scooter. It's had a monolithic interaction connected her arsenic it's her lone mode of transport. Her equilibrium isn't large with walking. She's getting older present truthful she decided to bargain a scooter to assistance her get around."
Claire said Bonnie lives with her mum, who is successful her 80s and tin nary longer get retired of the house. She told EdinburghLive: "She's ever lived with her mum and tin nary longer get retired to shops. My aunt is her enactment for getting nutrient shops in. When the scooter was stolen it really had my nana and aunt's play store successful it. It takes a definite benignant of idiosyncratic to bargain a mobility scooter disconnected idiosyncratic who is intelligibly disabled and successful request of it.
"It's their lifeline to get astir and inactive person their freedom. I'm a assemblage attraction idiosyncratic myself, truthful I recognize however important these scooters are for radical successful need. We person nary thought who stole it. We'd impulse anyone to travel guardant if they person immoderate accusation connected wherever it is. I cannot judge idiosyncratic would bash specified a thing."
Police person launched an probe into the alleged theft. A spokesperson said: "Around 2.55pm connected Wednesday November 6, 2024, officers received a study of the theft of a mobility scooter connected Craigentinny Road, Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing."