Mean Thieves

EAST Preston resident Peter Gaden was devastated when callous thieves robbed him of his wheelchair and only means of mobility on Thursday afternoon.

It was taken while 74-year-old Peter, pictured, and his wife Gwen were shopping at the Alldays store in East Preston, meaning they had to call their son-in-law, who had recently come out of hospital, to come and pick them up.

Fortunately, the wheelchair was found abandoned by a friend of the family on Monday but Peter is still angry at having to spend the entire weekend without it.

"I cannot believe the mentality required to pinch a wheelchair, it is like pinching a baby s pushchair," he said.

Peter, who can only walk with the aid of a stick and sufferes from diabetes, purchased the chair with the help of an RAF grant and would have had to wait weeks for a new one if his had not been found.

His daughter, Sarah, added: "The people who took it should realise that one day, they will be old themselves."