BOOTLE
29 January 2020
Vol 27 l Issue 5
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MUM’S DISTRESS AFTER THIEVES STEAL CAR AND CHILDREN’S WHEELCHAIRS Report by Danielle Thompson
Jack, above, and Callum and Alicia, right
HEARTLESS thieves stole a car containing two wheelchairs from a disabled bay outside a single mum’s home in Bootle. The mum, whose three children all have disabilities, was left ‘at the end of her tether’ by the cruel crime which happened earlier this month. To make matters much worse for the mum, since the theft she has struggled to get her two sons and daughter to school and hospital appointments. Former solicitor Kerry Walsh, 44, who is a full-time carer for Jack, 15, who has spina bifida and Alicia, 10, and Callum, eight, who have autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was in her home on Markfield Road when three people targeted her vehicle. It is believed they stole the keys to her car earlier that day and then took the black Ford S-Max, between 9pm and 10pm. The car had two wheelchairs in it at the time, which the family desperately need back for Jack and Callum.
Offenders should ‘search their conscience’ say police following heartless theft of vehicle from disabled bay outside family home
CCTV from a neighbouring property shows three suspects, aged around 14 to18, driving the car off. Kerry ’s children attend three different schools and due to their disabilities they are unable to walk there or use a bus, so Kerry has had to fork out a staggering £30-40 each day on taxis. The mum is now appealing to anyone who can offer the family urgent help with the loan of wheelchairs or adapted buggies. Horrible Kerry ’s mum Hazel told the Champion: “Kerry is at the end of her tether. She simply cannot believe that these horrible thieves would target her, especially seeing two children’s wheelchairs in the car. “The children’s needs make caring
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for them difficult at the best of time but now the stress and financial burden is starting to take its toll. “The thieves must have been watching her, which means they must have known she is a single mum with three disabled children. “We need a wheelchair and a buggy urgently, we are desperate for help.” Community Inspector Duncan Swan said: “We would urge anyone with information about this incident to get in touch. The wheelchair, disability buggy and car that have been stolen provide a lifeline for two children. “The theft has deprived them of an absolutely vital means of going about their daily lives, causing significant disruption and distress to the whole family. Continued inside
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