Burnham pensioner's distress after baseball bat thug trashes mobility scooter (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Burnham pensioner's distress after baseball bat thug trashes mobility scooter

1:00pm Thursday 21st February 2013 in News By Matthew Colledge

A DISABLED pensioner has been left traumatised after a thief wielding a baseball bat targeted her sheltered housing complex, stole her mobility scooter and trashed it beyond repair.

After striking at the warden controlled flats in Chichester Close in Burnham, the mystery intruder then dumped the scooter in an alleyway and left the baseball bat on the basket.

The scooter's owner, Dae Morris, 65, who has cerebral palsy and severe arthritis, told the Weekly News: “I want this publicised because it's serious.

“There are people in their 90s living here and the shock of seeing somebody with a baseball bat could have killed them.

“Who knows what would have happened if one of the elderly people had confronted them?”

Mrs Morris, who had owned the Shoprider electric scooter since her physical problems left her unable to walk properly nine years ago, said it was charging outside when it was taken.

She added: “It's extremely important to me - it's my life.

“Somebody else had their buggy taken a few months ago.

“These people don't realise what they are doing to people's lives by taking their buggies.

“Somebody has very kindly loaned me another buggy for free but it's not the same as my one and I'm frightened to use it because I'm liable if it gets stolen or if anything happens to it.”

She added: “This has made me feel so unsettled that I'm thinking now of putting in an exchange back to Gloucester where my family are.”

A police spokesman said: “The scooter was found dumped in an alleyway in Rosewood Close, and was badly damaged.”

Officers are investigating the theft, which happened in the early hours of last Saturday, and are urging anybody with information to phone Burnham police on 101.