Thieves steal from disabled Newbottle youngster

A mum has slammed the thieves who stole her disabled daughter's special pushchair from their home.
Little Isla Garland has been left without transport after thieves broke into an outhouse at their home on Woodburn Drive, Newbottle, overnight on Tuesday May 3, stealing the chair worth 500.Little Isla Garland has been left without transport after thieves broke into an outhouse at their home on Woodburn Drive, Newbottle, overnight on Tuesday May 3, stealing the chair worth 500.
Little Isla Garland has been left without transport after thieves broke into an outhouse at their home on Woodburn Drive, Newbottle, overnight on Tuesday May 3, stealing the chair worth 500.

Little Isla Garland has been left without transport after thieves broke into an outhouse at their home on Woodburn Drive, Newbottle, overnight on Tuesday May 3, stealing the chair worth around £500.

The three-year-old youngster is globally delayed and is undergoing testing to diagnose her condition, which means she struggles to walk far, cannot speak and has sensory issues.

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After hearing of Isla’s plight, the public rallied round, along with the help of Sun FM to raise the cash via a Just Giving page.

Mum of three Adele Owens, 27, is distraught that thieves would steal from a disabled child.

She said:“You don’t expect somebody to take from anybody, let alone a disabled little girl who needs this pushchair. It is the lowest of the low. The thieves had taken the very thing that we rely on a daily basis for Isla to get out and about.

“The pushchair is priceless in my eyes, as at the moment I am still having to carry her around.”

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After hearing of the shocking theft from a disabled youngster, members of the public rallied round to raise funds to replace the chair.

Just days after a Just Giving Page was set up by a customer at Newbottle Food Store, where Isla’s mum Adele works, the appeal managed to raise £675 of its £500 target to pay for a new “DoBuggy”.

Mum Adele said she couldn’t believe how quickly the cash poured in after members of the public heard of her daughter’s plight.

She said: “The funds coming in so quickly has come as a bit of a shock.

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“A young girl who comes into the shop where I work heard about what happened to Isla and set the Just Giving Page up for us, and it has just escalated from there.

“My boss had also rung up radio station SunFm and explained what had happened, and they asked if we could come down and tell them about the situation.

“So we went down last week and they appealed to listeners and helped raise funds for the pushchair.”

“I can’t believe it. I want to thank the community for the generosity with all their donations. “They have been fab.

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“There have even been people out searching the streets looking for the pushchair in case it has been dumped.”

Adele, who is also mum to Ellie Owens, 12, and Macie Garland, seven, said she is still waiting to see where they will buy the chair from, as it will have to be specially made for Isla.

“But the family are delighted Isla will soon be reunited with the chair she loves.

She said: “She loves it, as she gets to see everything that is going on.

“When the thieves took it, they took away her comfort.”

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A police spokeswoman said: “At 3.30pm on Wednesday, May 4 police were informed about a burglary at a house in Woodburn Drive. It happened between 11am on May 3, and 6am on May 4.

“Inquiries are on-going. Witnesses should ring Northumbria Police on 101 quoting reference 673 040516 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”