Terminally ill cancer patient, 71, pleas for return of stolen mobility scooter

Terminally ill cancer patient, 71, pleas for return of stolen mobility scooter.

A 70-YEAR-OLD terminally ill cancer patient has spoken of his devastation after having his mobility scooter stolen.

Former merchant navy seaman Derek Trigg discovered his Ambassador scooter model had been taken at around 11.40pm on Monday, January 25, from the Fenton Close area of Newark.

A neighbour had seen two men lift a scooter on to the back of a red hatchback shortly beforehand.

Derek bought the black and grey scooter brand new in 2014 at a cost of £1,095, when his long period of ill health began to affect his legs and spine.

He said: “Purchasing the scooter completely changed my life… when my wife was alive, we used to go out for walks and it opened up all these opportunities for us again.

“Sadly, my wife passed away in January last year as a result of an illness but the scooter continued to enable me to do things and helped provide some comfort.

“It also has that sentimental value as I have fond memories of Tina (wife), who was completely blind towards the end of her life, holding on to the side of the buggy and plodding along beside me.”

Derek, who lives alone, was first alerted to the theft by someone living nearby who noticed his scooter wasn’t where it should be.

Officers from the Newark Neighbourhood team have been investigating and continue to carry out enquiries but CCTV and area searches have so far been negative.

Derek said: “It has been completely gutting to lose it and I’m at a loss without it. It’s completely taken away my independence and my lifeline really.

“Every day I’d be able to go out for a ride, go to the shops, visit people and just go out for a change of scenery.

“These heartless thieves have taken away the one enjoyment I’ve been able to have during the pandemic and now I’m just stuck indoors not able to go anywhere.

“It would be so nice to get it back. Perhaps the people who’ve taken it will see this and just return it to me. This whole ordeal has just made me feel vulnerable and worried that people think they can just take what they want from me.”

Police continue to appeal for information from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area around the time the scooter was stolen.

The vehicle is similar to the model pictured but is black with grey trim instead of red.

Inspector Heather Sutton, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “Our heart goes out to Derek and my team have been really affected by what has happened to him.

“It’s such a cruel and heartless crime to commit against an elderly, vulnerable man and take away his lifeline and something he’s able to enjoy as he battles a terminal illness.

“We ask for the public’s help to further bolster our enquiries and if they have seen anything at all that could help, to get in touch.”

If you do have any information, please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 quoting incident 699 of 25 January.

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