Lowest of the low

JUST when you thought the dregs of society who prey on the vulnerable couldn’t sink any lower, along they come to plumb new depths. This week the Advertiser reports how a wheelchair belonging to multiple sclerosis sufferer Mr Jack Rayner was stolen from his Collingham home.

Who in their right mind would consider stealing a wheelchair?

These thieves acted without conscience and with no thought of the consequences their actions would have on their victims.

It is beyond belief that something so obviously being used because of another person’s circumstances could be taken.

Police are convinced it was stolen for its scrap value — current thinking among the criminal fraternity seems to be that if it’s metal it must be worth a substantial amount.

But if they manage to sell the wheelchair for scrap — and anyone offered it should refuse to take it — they are unlikely to receive more than a couple of pounds for it.

Mr Rayner and his wife, Mrs Marylyn Rayner, have had to pay to replace the chair, but it is worth much more to them in practical rather than financial terms.

They have adapted their lifestyle to cope with Mr Rayner’s condition and the wheelchair forms a big part of that.

Their faith in human nature will have been severely tested by this incident.

Someone knows who was responsible. They should not be protected; they are beneath contempt.