Paralympic star has car and leg stolen
A TEAM GB Paralympic swimming hopeful has been left devastated after her adapted car containing a special sports prosthetic leg was stolen.
Rosie Bancroft, a zoology student at the University of Manchester, first noticed her handbag and other items were missing from her house on Sunday, February 25.
When she looked out of the window of her shared accommodation on Upper Brook Street, in the city centre, she realised her Fiat 500 had been stolen.
The dark blue convertible has been specially adapted for Rosie as she does not have a right leg.
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, 23, relies on the car to get her to training sessions at Manchester Aquatics Centre as she struggles to walk long distances.
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 downstairs, which contained the car keys, passport and her bank cards.
Rosie’s boyfriend’s washbag was also stolen, along with her coat.
She told the M.E.N.: “My car had my prosthetic leg in it. 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 in 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 that it’s too far to walk to the Aquatics Centre: “I will have to get a taxi. I can’t walk that far, I have to drive.”
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.
She is appealing for anyone who may have seen her car with the licence plate OY65 XRZ to get in touch with police.
Police have been contacted for a comment.