The thief, who used a walking stick, was helped by a middle aged man who disabled the lock before pushing the woman away
A DISABLED great grandmother has been left housebound after a rotund pensioner drove off in her £1,000 mobility scooter - while she was in a bible reading class.
The thief, who used a walking stick, was helped by a middle aged man who disabled the lock before pushing the woman away.
Pensioner Sarah Dougall, 75, had gone to an evening bible class on in New Cross, south east London.
She had parked her scooter outside the class hidden behind two bins.
The retired catering assistant had been at the class for just 90 mins.
But when she came out, the mum of six, who has eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren, was shocked to see her scooter had gone.
Sarah said: "I came out and I was talking to some friends and I looked around and couldn't see my scooter.
"I was so shocked, I just did a double take and said: 'Where is my bike?'
"I couldn't believe what had happened. My friend from the class took me home and I just cried.
"I couldn't understand why someone would steal a mobility scooter. Why would someone steal from somebody elderly?"
But CCTV footage, which Sarah's son Jonathan Dougall collected from Kingdom Hall, where the scooter was stolen, revealed the crime was even more shocking.
The theft, which took place in September 8 at around 8pm was carried out by two elderly suspects.
The man and woman are seen approaching the burgundy Revo SCUK64 scooter in its parking spot.
The female suspect, who walks with a stick and was wearing a distinctive pattern jacket, shines a torch on the vehicle as the man spends several minutes inspecting the vehicle, before reaching underneath to disable the lock.
The woman is then seen climbing into the seat before the man pushes her slowly away.
Sarah, who has lived in her council house in Peckham for 35 years, said she was dependent on the mobility scooter, which she had had for a year, after two operations on her leg.
She currently suffers from painful blisters on her leg and has done so for several months.
Sarah said: "I don't like being a burden on my children.
"I needed that scooter for going to the doctors the shops and my slimming world meetings.
"You always think you are just going to grow old, but all the problems that come with it - you don't expect them."
Sarah said the fact the thieves were older made it harder to believe.
She said: "The fact they are older makes it worse.
"The woman had a stick herself.
"How could she do this to someone else with mobility problems?"
Sarah has felt depressed since the theft and has had to call on her children to take her to doctor's appointments.
She spends most of her time living alone.
Sarah said: "The fact it is local makes it worse.
"I had broken a bit of the right arm rest off, so if they are using it someone must have seen it around.
"I don't have any savings, I live in a council house. I just want to get living again."
Mrs Dougall's son Jonathan Dougall, 40, said his mum was a kind-hearted and generous person.
The musician from Deptford said: "When you take the key out it automatically goes into lock down - you can't leave it on a hill.
"You have to know what you're doing and you can see in the video they were there for eight minutes.
"It's not easy to do. Almost certainly they must have owned one or done it before."
Sarah, who was born in Glasgow but moved to England when she was 11, said: "I just want it back.
"If they just hand it back I won't prosecute, it will mean they are honest people."
Sarah's children have launched an online appeal to raise £1,000 for a replacement scooter.
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed police received a call at 10pm on 8 September concerning the theft of a mobility scooter.
They added: "There are two suspects, one male and one female, who are both white and of large build."
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