Thieves steal phone and bank cards from man suffering stroke

Two "despicable" thieves posed as good Samaritans and stole from a man as he suffered a stroke in the street.

They struck as their 67-year-old victim collapsed in Bolton as he walked home from choir practice at about 10pm on Friday April 21.

They helped him get home from the scene in Philips Avenue and his wife called an ambulance.

The men left before emergency services arrived and it later emerged the victim's phone and bank cards had been stolen from his pocket, along with cash from a sideboard in his home.

Detective Constable Phil Unsworth, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This was an absolutely despicable theft of a man who was having a stroke in the street.

"It's almost unbelievable that anybody would stoop so low as to steal from somebody as they were stricken by such a serious medical episode.

"If you have any information that you believe can help us find the people responsible then I would urge you to contact police."

Anybody with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 790 of 22/04/17, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.