Sheffield girl in wheelchair mugged on one of her first trips outside – after months of shielding

Ella Rose, aged 17, was targeted in her wheelchair outside Tesco on West Street at 11.20am on Tuesday, August 11.

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A man, who has not yet been traced by the police, grabbed her phone and fled.

Ella, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, spent months shielding in a bid to avoid contracting Covid-19 but is now allowed out again and was outside Tesco while her personal assistant was in the shop when the mugger struck.

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A family friend outraged at the mugging has set up an online Go Fund Me crowdfunding page to pay for a replacement phone for Ella.

Over £1,300 has been raised so far, with any excess set to be donated to the Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.

Ella’s father, Jack, said his daughter was shocked and upset but she is not dwelling on her ordeal.

“She has only been out a few times because of shielding and had gone to get some lunch with her PA when the opportunist struck,” he said.

“We are still upset at what happened and my wife has re-traced Ella’s steps and been to see all the businesses with CCTV cameras to see if there is anything we can hand to the police.

“Ella is an innocent young girl who has led a sheltered life so it is pretty unpleasant that somebody would do this.

“But you also have to feel sorry for the person who did this too as it must be a pretty miserable existence if you are having to steal mobile phones from girls in wheelchairs.”

He said he has been overwhelmed at the level of support for his daughter since the crowdfunding appeal was launched.

“If anything good can come from this it is that it proves there are more good people than bad,” Jack added.

South Yorkshire Police said: “We understand this incident was very distressing for the victim and would like to reassure her and her family that an investigation is underway.”

Visit GoFundMe to donate.