A terrified elderly couple say they no longer feel safe in their own home, after burglars broke into their Ashmont house about 5.30am on Monday while they were inside.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The offenders destroyed several flyscreen windows and pried open a window before proceeding to steal cash, mobile phones, house keys, a keycard, a glass vase, a lolly jar, and two mobility scooters.
Later that day the two mobility scooters were found discarded in a field behind the Silvalite petrol station.
One of the scooters had been damaged while the other had been totally destroyed, with the frame bashed in and all the wiring torn out.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Elizabeth Steed, 74, said the sheer senselessness of it appalled her.
"That's the thing that hurts the most. For their 10, 20 minutes of fun they've taken away somebody else's independence," Mrs Steed said.
"There goes our freedom. There goes our ability to go out and do things and be part of the community. I don't want to be shut in for the rest of my life, I don't want to die yet."
Mrs Steed said she understood the thieves went to Coles and bought items using her keycard, and were filmed doing so on CCTV.
She said with the help of some Ashmont locals, Wagga police have tracked down a person who they believe was involved in the robbery.
The phones were returned to the couple, but they are still unusable since the SIM cards are missing.
Their son-in-law and support person Corey Downing said the couple had done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment.
"[Elizabeth has] done a lot of volunteer work all her life. She's worked in school canteens, she's helped out in communities, they've both been very strong members of the church, they've both been outstanding citizens and role models," Mr Downing said.
"They've worked with disabled and vulnerable children, helping them with reading and writing, they've both been foster carers themselves raising a young person who they still support to this day."
Mrs Steed was among the first in NSW to be awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia, being one of five people given the honour in 1985 for services to the community.
Open Mobility scooters have since offered to repair the damaged scooter and replace the trashed one free of charge.
Wagga police were contacted for comment.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters