A DISABLED man has been left afraid to go into town after an opportunist thief snatched money out of his hands as he went to pay for an item.
Mark Ravenhill, 34, of Spring Grove, Carlton, was shopping in Barnsley Market on Monday around lunchtime and went to buy a bouquet of flowers for his wife, Lucy.
He reached into his bum bag and pulled out £10 to pay and as he did, a person walked past him and took the money out of his hand.
Mark said: “I am disgusted that someone could this to a disabled person. I suffer with cerebral palsy and I am upset and angry that this has happened to me in broad daylight.
“I was buying the flowers for my wife as it was her birthday. She had gone to another part of the market and I wanted to surprise her with the flowers. Instead, I had to call her and tell her that someone had pinched money out my hand. She was furious and very upset.”
Mark is unaware of who the culprit is, as the incident happened quickly and by the time he was able to raise the alarm the person was long gone.
The incident has left Mark not wanting to go into the town centre, as he fears he may be targeted again
He said: “I’m scared to go into town as it was not a very nice experience and it’s shaken me up. I also wanted to come forward because I don’t want the same thing to happen to someone else who is disabled. We shouldn’t be targeted because we are disabled.”
If you have any information, please contact 101 quoting crime reference number 14/23403/19.
