Disabled Thundersley (Essex) teenager has go-kart stolen

William Weller, 14, of Common Lane, Thundersley, is devastated after his beloved go- kart was taken from his back garden.

Mother-of-three Debbie Willis says she feels helpless and unable to console her son, who has severe learning difficulties due to a problem with his chromosome make up. He cannot grasp the fact it has gone.

She believes the crooks crept up the side of the house into the garden where the bright yellow go-kart was kept, before making off with it in the middle of the night.

 

She said: “He goes on it all the time, no matter what the weather is like. It’s the thing he loves the most.

“William’s had it for quite a few years so it is a bit battered now.

“ It would probably be of little worth to anyone else so it’s not as if they could resell it for much, but it has so much sentimental value for him.

“I am just at a loss as to what to do to make him feel better. I can’t imagine what he is feeling. I know if I lost my favourite possession I would be devastated.

“I have promised to buy him a new one, but he just wants the old one. William has even asked if the police could send their helicopters out to search for it.”

Miss Willis is urging anyone who may have seen the bright yellow kart to contact the police.

The theft is believed to have happened in the early hours of last Wednesday.

Essex Police believe the thieves drove the go-kart out of the garden and are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman for the force said: “Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft of a large go kart in Benfleet.

“Thieves stole the yellow item from an insecure garden off Common Lane between 6pm on May 8, and 4pm on May 9.

“The go-kart would have been driven out of the garden and possibly attracted attention from passers-by and motorists.”

Anyone with information can call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on  0800 555111      .

(Reproduced from The Echo, 15th May)

Gardien Comment: Clearly this was too valuable an item to be left outdoors, unsecured. If an item is too large to be stored inside, then access to the garden has to be made as difficult as possible. See http://www.garden-security.co.uk/gates-security.aspx