Portsmouth Ron’s Back on the Road after Scooter Theft

A  kind hearted Portsmouth business has come to the rescue of a pensioner whose mobility scooter was stolen.   Ron Mitchell was devastated to find out that the scooter had gone missing from outside his home in Copnor on Monday morning.  With back problems, meaning that even walking for a few minutes leaves him in pain, the loss of the scooter meant that Ron was housebound. His daughter, Debbie Broad, called the police but also took to social media putting out a plea on Facebook. Debbie said, “I was very upset. My dad has got quite a serious back problem. He can’t walk to the end of his road without being in pain and stopping so the mobility scooter is his legs. It’s his independence and to see it not there, I was absolutely horrified.” Now North End Motors in London Road have stepped in and given Ron a replacement. Owner of the car sales garage, Daniel Reilly, had seen the Facebook post and felt he had to act. He said, “Because we deal in mobility scooters as a side business, I thought I would donate a scooter free of charge to Ron.   “It’s not brand new but will hopefully get him through Christmas and into the New Year.” Talking about the theft, he added, “You hear about bikes being stolen but to steal a mobility scooter from an old man is disgusting. Whoever did it should be ashamed of themselves.” Ron who is ex -navy and a retired refrigeration engineer retired three years ago. Now 68, he has had two knee transplants that left one of his legs shorter than the other and this is when he said his problems started. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUCs1V2vbc He explained, “I had one transplant in 2009, the other in 2011 and from 2012, that’s when my back troubles started. I can hardly walk. I have to rely on other people to walk my dog “I couldn’t believe that people could stoop so low at this time of year but I’m so touched that these people have offered me the chance of another scooter. It will really make a difference. “I was quite low and then you get something like this – these guys coming in and making an offer. It’s fantastic.”