Published on Thursday 14 June 2012 12:05
A DISABLED grandmother was spat on and abused by yobs after visiting her husband’s grave in Bedford on Saturday.
Sandra, 60, a former computer programmer, was left disabled by a stroke ten years ago. She was travelling in her electric wheelchair when the attack happened at around 2.30pm in Goldington Road.
She said: “When my husband was alive, if he went into Bedford and had the money he would always bring me a red rose back.
“I hadn’t planned it but I felt that I needed to give him a red rose.”
She added: “On my way back there were a group of young people laughing and talking at the side of the path.
“I wasn’t frightened as I have always believed that there is always something good in everybody but they stopped me in my chair.”
Sandra was then subjected to a ten-minute attack in which the youths shouted abuse, including that she ‘didn’t belong in this world’, spat on her, grabbed her and tampered with her wheelchair and its controls.
She said: “I’m a Christian and I’ve got a little verse – ‘Be still and know that I am God.’
“I knew that as long as I could say that I could keep myself fairly calm because I do get anxiety attacks.
“They started spitting inside my glasses and on my hand. I was in tears. It was horrible and I felt like I had lost the plot.”
Sandra, whose surname we have agreed not to publish, escaped when a passer-by shouted at the youths.
But in her hurry she bumped down the kerb and was nearly hit by a car.
She said: “My chair only goes at two-and-a-half miles an hour and I was scared stiff that they were going to chase me.
“The only thing I could think of was to go as fast as I could.
“The man in the car offered to take me home but I couldn’t accept. I wouldn’t have been able to because I didn’t trust anyone after what had happened.”
She added: “Now I don’t feel like I want to go out and I don’t feel very comfortable with people. They have made me feel frightened and worthless.”
The six or seven attackers were aged between 16 and 19. Two were Asian and the youth who grabbed the wheelchair wore beige trousers and multi-coloured striped socks.
Police want to trace either of the two men who stopped, or a third man who took Sandra home when her wheelchair ran out of battery power.
You can contact PC Sara Ielden via police number 101, or call Crimestoppers on 
0800 555111.
What is wrong with people today? Society has seriously lost it’s way when we allow things like this to happen to our most vulnerable.
Is this an argument for CONSCRIPTION to be brought back?…
If these people had nothing better to do, then why are we allowing them to roam the streets in gangs like feral dogs?…
Sad to see that they wanted to not publish this lady’s surname in the article, but it is on the picture of her…
I’m sorry but being disabled myself this makes me very very angry, these youths should be made to spend six months in the Army to learn respect, not just for disabled people but to everyone, sorry but i think they are COWARDS.
The Army wouldn’t want to be associated with trash like these because they’d be a complete waste of space.
I think they should, when caught, be put up against several people who enjoy a good punch up and specialise, though proper training, in winning what they mix it up in. Then they should give these little cowards a real taste of their own medicine.
Let’s face it, prisons are a soft touch; they’d flunk out if they went anywhere near a uniform; and they’re only fit for hanging around on street corners making out they’re tough by picking on those they see as weaker than them.
Typical bullies, and the only way they will learn that there is always someone bigger than them is to actually be assisted with meeting those bigger – and better-trained – people.
I know of at least half a dozen folks who’d love to have ten minutes in a locked room with them! These guys know a thing or two about mixing it up, but they don;t use what they know to attack the elderly and infirm.
we can blame the government for many of these types of attack, as they’re brainwashed the Jeremy Kyle crowd into seeing all disabled people as benefit scroungers.
I totally agree with you, but i wouldn’t like to see the people who slapped them about get in to trouble with the law over these wasters.
words fail me ,these scumbags deserve no soft touch no liberal bleeding hearts giving them a sob story.they are less than stones on the ground,and should be treated with public scorn and flogging in the town square ,let their mates see just how much fun that would be.respect in this country is not on any agenda for thousands of ferrel kids that run riot .they are victime too victims of soft easy living breed for a house culture that creates them.nothing will get done and nothing will change ,we are run by greed and self interest and the lower down the social scale you get the less you matter.for a few it is get rich and move away into safe well policed areas behind big walls ,for many it is lock your door in the daytime and expect no help from anyone.how many on here know of areas that you can not walk through for fear of attack?. these are real issues not millions paid to lawyers in enquiries into bloomin phone hacking ect.
broken britain its not very nice to be abused in this way by tw— like this its bring back the cat for people like this but somedogooder say thats not my little willy doing that never but it is and should be birch or the cat and we see how they like it disgusting jeff3 sometimes i wonder if there is a god
What an utter travesty. These children need to be found and imprisoned for what they’ve done to this poor lady. The mention of her husband bringing her a red rose when he could afford to almost brought tears to my eyes — so sweet that she had done the same.
I cannot even put into words my disgust at the behaviour of these troglodytes. May they get what’s coming to them, and may they get it soon.
Can i put into words an adequate description of these youths, scum, dirty filthy scum, and nothing less. How brave of them, how gallant and mighty. Scum, total Scum.
Send them to boot camp, prison is too soft.