Missing thousands leave Alan fuming
06 September 2006
EDITORIAL - whtimes@archant.co.uk


Alan Lockett – ‘A heartless thing to do’
CALLOUS crooks cleaned out a disabled man's bank account - and went on a gambling spree.

Alan Lockett, who has motor neurone disease, was heartbroken to discover almost £2,000 had disappeared, leaving him over his overdraft limit.

Now the 48-year-old, from Raymonds Plain, WGC, hasn't even got enough money to buy food.

He told the WHT: "It's a heartless thing to do. How would they feel if all their money was taken away?

"I've got none at all now. I'm living on benefits. I don't have enough to buy food. But I've got some stuff in the cupboards and my sister said she will help me out."

Mr Lockett said he had found out about the theft when NatWest called him on Friday to say he had gone over his overdraft limit of £2,000.

A quick look at his online account revealed the thieves had swiped £1,920 over the course of the day and spent it at the online gambling site Gala Coral.

"I couldn't believe it," said Mr Lockett, who lives alone.

"I don't know how they did it. I buy all my shopping off the internet because I'm disabled. I can't get out much. They must have got my card details from that.

"I've never used those sites before. I only do the lottery online. It makes me so angry."

Mr Lockett said he had immediately phoned his bank who were currently investigating.

He has suffered with motor neurone disease - the same condition that affects physicist Stephen Hawking - for 20 years.

"This has just made things more difficult for me," he said.

"Usually the disease kills you in two years but I've got a slow variety. It gradually gets worse and worse. There's no cure for it."

A spokeswoman for NatWest said they were unable to comment on individual customers' accounts or circumstances without their written consent

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/wht...A37%3A31%3A723