The theft of a disabled seven-year-old’s wheelchair in Walworth last week has sparked outrage online, leading to the resuming of a police investigation, writes Romilly Schulte…
Mother Tamica Campbell said that social media traction has been vital after her son’s custom powered wheelchair disappeared from the family’s garage on the Walworth Road.
Ms Campbell documents her life with her son Teon, who is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, on her “Mummytee” TikTok account – her followers have said that responses to the incident were “disgraceful” and that they are “disappointed in the police”.
Tamica reports that the theft has led her to feel unsafe in her area, since the wheelchair has stickers with her details on and there are no leads into the culprit’s identity.
She said: “I grew up in South, so I’m not easily scared and I don’t expect bad in people. But when I’m putting Teon in the car, I am always looking over my shoulder thinking they will come back.
“It triggered my PTSD, because I experienced a home invasion when I was in foster care, and I had a key worker who sorted it out. You become a care leaver at 25, so I feel like this is the first time I’ve had to deal with a bad situation on my own.”
She realised on Saturday last week after spending the night at her mother’s that her son’s wheelchair, which he relies upon for independence and mobility, had disappeared from her building’s secure garage unit.
“At first I was confused, really. I didn’t think it was stolen, maybe that a neighbour had moved it,” she said.
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The police were alerted, but closed the case soon after Tamica’s access requests for the building’s CCTV footage were denied. They have since reopened the case, which Tamica attributes to the circulation of her story on social media.
She says that she has also contacted Southwark Social Services for help, but has not yet heard back from them.
“Teon is always singing ‘don’t worry mummy be happy’, from the song. I was just crying and crying, I was so devastated. He is mostly non-verbal, so I know when he is speaking, that it is affecting him.
“At school, they’ve been really good and are just disappointed by it. His teachers have to push him in his chair, it’s that which makes me really upset. In his wheelchair he can go where he wants and I follow him,” she said.
The initial TikTok, which was uploaded last week, has over 220k views, which has helped the family’s Gofundme fundraise £13.5k to go towards a replacement wheelchair, making over half of its initial goal.
In the video, Tamica said: “The worst thing is that they can see that it’s a child’s wheelchair. I don’t understand the type of morals or values that people have.
“I feel so so grateful to everyone and it shows the power of social media. But I still feel really bad about what happened,” said Campbell, adding that “nothing much has changed. The police are in touch but still have no clue who took it.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “The local team will review the incident to confirm that all the procedures were followed correctly regarding obtaining CCTV.
“They will also contact the victim to clearly set out the decision-making and ensure they are fully updated.”
Tamica and Teon’s Gofundme fundraiser can be accessed here.
We asked why social services had not got back to Tamica enquiries but Southwark Council is yet comment
Featured image credit: Tamica Campbell
