A team GB Paralympic swimming hopeful has been left devastated after her specially adapted car containing a running prosthetic leg was stolen.
Rosie Bancroft, 23, a zoology student at the University of Manchester, first noticed her possessions and other items were missing from her house on Sunday, February 25.
Rosie’s shared accommodation on Upper Brook Street, in the city centre was burgled and they took various items including; her handbag (a black small shoulder bag), passport, cards and her coat.
The most devastating news came when she looked out of her window to notice her Fiat 500 convertible had been stolen too.
The dark blue convertible has been specially adapted for Rosie as she does not have a right leg and foot.
The accelerator has been switched to the left side to enable her to use it, which would have made it a struggle for the burglar to drive a long distance.
It also contained the prosthetic leg Rosie uses for sports, making it a struggle for her to continue training for a place in the Team GB Paralympic swimming team.
Rosie, heavily relies on the car to get her to training sessions at Manchester Aquatics Centre as she struggles to walk long distances.
Please RT!! My car with my running prosthetic leg in has been stolen. Anyone in Manchester City centre sees it pls let us know @MENnewsdesk pic.twitter.com/eHfNyAGRPq
— Rosie Bancroft (@rosie_bancroft1) 25 February 2018
Without the car she will have to pay expensive taxi journeys to get to training and university classes.
Rosie, who moved from Oxford to Manchester to study, believes the burglar broke into the house while she was sleeping upstairs on Saturday night.
Her handbag had been left in the downstairs area, which contained the car keys, passport and her bank cards.
She said: “My car had my prosthetic leg in. I have got a prosthetic leg I was wearing at the time. The one in the car was for sport. It has taken months to get that fitted and to wear it in.
“It is the first time I have had one to use is the gym. I use it for training.
“It is such a special thing for me. Nobody is going to have a use for that apart from me.”
Rosie added: “I don’t have a right foot, the left accelerator has been switched to the left side. They would have been driving with the pedals the wrong way.
“I used to joke nobody would steal my car as how could they driven away in it.
“It is too far to walk to the Aquatics centre for me. I go training twice a day, now I will have to get an Uber which costs £6 a day. I can’t walk that far, I have to drive.
“I rely on that car more than someone else, I rely on that leg as well.”
Rosie has been training with Team GB coaches for the past three years and is hoping to compete for a medal at the games in Tokyo 2020.
Greater Manchester Police are investigating.
She is appealing for anyone who may have seen her car with the licence plate OY65XRZ to get in touch with police.
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