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A fundraising page has been set up to help secure a new mobility scooter for a 73-year-old islander with severe sight impairment after it was stolen from outside his flat.
Bill Artois cannot walk unaided and relies on his mobility scooter to get around.
He noticed his scooter was missing from outside his door at Brooklyn Court in Ann Street in the morning of 19 July as he was about to head to a nearby shop.
“Where the flats are built, there are only two on the floor and there is a reception area between the two front doors,” he explained.
“The scooter was parked outside my door. I got up early in the morning, I sometimes go to the hole in the wall to get grocery money, the shop opens at 06:00. I went to get on my scooter, and it was not there. I thought ,‘Oh my god, someone has stolen it’."
Despite being a "light sleeper", Mr Artois told Express he "did not hear anything through the night".
As the police explained in a post shared on their Facebook page, the scooter is fitted with an ultrasound device that assists Mr Artois in detecting obstacles when he is using it, which makes it “quite unique”.
It's black and red and is fitted with two batteries, where most scooters only have one. Mr Artois has the key so the police said the person that took it would have had to push it away.
Mr Artois explained he is “totally blind” and cannot get around without his scooter. Someone usually accompanies him when he is on the scooter to prevent him from driving into anything.
“My legs are not working, I cannot walk,” he said. “I rely heavily on the mobility scooter. I cannot walk from where I am sat now to the bathroom which is next door unaided.”
Mr Artois has been living in the flat for two-and-a-half years and was one of the first tenants to move in the block. He said he has never had any issues with his scooter before.
“It’s lovely living here, apart from a bit of traffic noise,” he said.
Pictured: Mr Artois has been living in the flat on Ann Street for two-and-a-half years.
He believes the scooter was either taken by “somebody who knows somebody or somebody who lives the block of flats”, as the doors are equipped with electronic locks, meaning that between 18:00 and 06:00, people trying to enter have to ring somebody who lives in the building to be let in.
“I have told the police to look closer to home,” he said.
He said the police had been “marvellous” in supporting him after the incident. “It surprises me what the police have done so far,” he said. “They have really got my problem to heart. They were concerned that somebody can be so low to take the machine and leave me stranded.”
With only a “small pension” of £340 – “It’s a pittance,” Mr Artois noted – he cannot afford to buy a new scooter, which would cost around £3,750.
He was therefore pleasantly surprised that an islander had suggested setting up a fundraiser page for him.
“That would be lovely,” he said.
When she read the police appeal about the theft, Sam Jones decided to help find "new wheels" for Mr Artois. She has sourced a new scooter, for which Jersey Hemp has donated most of the money. She has now set up a fundraising page so help fund the remaining £200, hopefully before the weekend.
"When you hear of a 73-year-old blind and disabled person having their only form of freedom and mobility taken away, it’s easy to be angry at the thief," she explained. "I’d prefer be part of the solution and bring back Bill’s faith in our local community."
Anyone with more information about what happened to Mr Artois' scooter is asked to call Police on 612612.
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