A vulnerable Swindon man was robbed of photographs of his children whilst he lay unconscious in the street, according to a homelessness charity.
After another night of sleeping rough, the man’s said to have collapsed during a medical episode in Cricklade Road, between May Close and Argyle Street, yesterday afternoon.
He was on his way into the town centre to take up a temporary accommodation offer from Swindon Borough Council.
While unconscious on the floor a man was seen to approach him, reportedly forcibly ripping two rucksacks from his body in broad daylight – at around 1.30pm.
The bags contained the man’s “most precious possessions”, Threshold Housing Link said.
Adding: “The possessions stolen had no significant financial value but did have enormous sentimental value to this man. They included his entire collection of family photos, including the only pictures he possessed of his children – from their infancy through to latter years.
“It was because of the personal value these pictures held that they remained with him during rough sleeping. He is devastated to have lost the photos.”
The homelessness charity is appealing for help in locating said photographs stolen during what is being described as a “deplorable, callous crime” on a rough sleeper.
The perpetrator is said to have run towards a waiting friend and they both set off at a pace, according to a witness who told the man of the robbery afterwards.
Photographs of the two backpacks stolen have been released in a bid to locate them. One backpack is black with orange trim, the other is black and grey with blue trim.
Following the attack, the man was collected by the Threshold Housing Link team and taken to a Swindon hotel where he can start to safely recuperate.
The charity says Wiltshire Police is investigating the incident.
