Deaf carer has electric bike stolen from Sunnycroft Rest Home in West End

Suzanne Butcher was devastated when she finished her shift to find her electric bike worth over £1,000 was no longer outside Sunnycroft Rest Home, West End.

The senior carer from Hedge End lost her hearing 11 years ago and relies on her bike to travel to and from work in Moorgreen Road, and elsewhere.

The 55-year-old mum of five, who has worked in care for 35 years, said: “I’ve had a cochlear implant for five years and this allows me to work and carry on with everyday life.

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“The thief who stole my bike cut through the lock. The bike was my lifeline for work and getting me around.

“I’m absolutely devastated. The bike was bought with inheritance money my late mother left me in 2020.

Suzanne Butcher

“It is my only form of transport.”

Deputy manager of Sunnycroft Kirsty Hinton says the theft is "despicable".

She said: "We think the whole situation is disgusting. To steal something from outside the care home is the lowest of the low.

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"The theft has really affected Suzanne and it is despicable. We are offering her moral and emotional support."

According to Kirsty, the home has no CCTV outside but they are waiting to hear from the neighbours to see if they can view their CCTV footage. 

After working at the care home for ten years, Suzanne is now concerned about travelling to and from work - especially when the nights begin to get darker.

Sunnycroft Care Home

She said: “It takes an hour to walk to work from home. When the clocks change and it’s pitch black at 8pm I won’t want to be walking home as it’s quite rural.”

Suzanne's bike, which she purchased less than a year ago, is described as being a brown/bronze Carrera e-bike with orange writing.

The theft is being looked into by police and anyone with information is urged to contact them on 101 quoting 44220270382.

A previous report in the Daily Echo revealed that just over half of bike thefts in the city in April 2022 were investigated, but no suspect identified.

Hampshire police say they are aware of the increase in bike thefts in April.

Although the force is not able to identify every bike theft, officers review offences and trends to crack down on the crime. 

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