A community nurse has been left unable to work after thieves stole her car from her driveway in south Manchester.
Just before 5:30am this morning (March 26), a group of men broke into a property on Armitage Avenue in Longsight and stole the keys belonging to a black Peugeot 208 car.
The car was used by community nurse Victoria Roberts to transport the medical equipment she needs to carry out her job every day.
Her husband, Brendan, has now set up a fundraising page to help get Victoria back to work as quickly as possible at such a crucial time.
“She helps the elderly in the community who might need treatment or need support after surgery,” Brendan said.
“She’s really busy at the moment as a lot of the people she visits cannot go out or are classed as vulnerable.”
Victoria started working as a nurse in 2007 in the emergency wards at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).
About eight months ago, she decided to go into community nursing at Burnage Health Centre to help do dressing and collecting blood samples for those going in and out of surgery.
“She woke up this morning at about 6:30am to do her exercises,” Brendan says.
“She pulled back the blinds and noticed the car was missing - she ran upstairs screaming."
The car contained a number of monitors and machines used to test blood and check blood pressure, bandages, masks, and even a used needle bin.
When the family realised the car was stolen, they checked their CCTV cameras to find a group of young men wearing balaclavas drive up outside the property in a black BMW.
They then used a tool to break in before fleeing with the vehicle.
“It was literally all done within a few minutes,” Brendan adds. “They knew what they were doing.
“It now means she can’t work until she gets something sorted out. No one wants to see a dent on the NHS right now."
Brendan, who provides IT support for schools and businesses, says it has left Victoria feeling ‘upset and distressed’.
“She’s one of those people that will go above and beyond in their job. Even though she’s not really supposed to, she will help elderly people with a bit of cleaning up or hoovering up when they’re not able to do it themselves.
“I hope it pulls on their heartstrings when they open up the boot and realise what’s in there.
“I don’t think it will but I’m just hoping.”
A GMP spokesperson said they were looking into the incident.
“Police were called shortly after 7.15am on Thursday 26 March 2020 to reports of a burglary and the theft of a car at an address on Armitage Avenue in the Longsight area of Manchester,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“It is believed that at around 5.30am, three men in balaclavas entered the property and stole the keys to the occupant’s car and made off in that vehicle.”
You can contribute to the fundraising campaign here.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4224, quoting reference number 402 of 26/03/20.
Information can also be passed to the independent charity – Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
