Moped gang steal speedboat crash victim's £30,000 prosthetic legs

Personal trainer Victoria Milligan lost leg in accident that killed her husband and daughter

Personal trainer Victoria Milligan lost her left leg in a speedboat accident (PA)

A mother who lost her leg in a speedboat accident that killed her husband and daughter has had three prosthetic limbs worth £30,000 stolen by an armed moped gang.

Victoria Milligan, 46, told of her “utter shock and horror” after the thieves smashed their way into her car and snatched the personalised prosthetics as she ate with friends at a nearby restaurant in Fulham, west London.

She told The Independent: “It has been really distressing. We are going into the Christmas season when everything should be upbeat and positive but it has taken me back to the accident and everything, and feeling like an amputee again.

“I can sort of go through life not feeling too disabled because I’ve got these amazing legs that I can wear for different activities, but now I can’t and I’m back to not being able to run, not being able to exercise very much, not being able to wear heels or dresses or trainers. It’s going to be a pretty boring Christmas.”

The personal trainer had rebuilt her life with the help of the specially cast limbs following a horrific crash in May 2013, which killed her husband, Nick, a 51-year-old Sky executive, and their eight-year-old daughter, Emily.

The family were on holiday in Padstow, Cornwall, when the boat span out of control and threw them overboard before circling over them at high speed several times.

Ms Milligan, from Wandsworth in south-west London, was so seriously injured that doctors were forced to amputate her left leg below the knee.

Her son, Kit, now nine, required 20 operations to save his leg while her daughter, Amber, 16, suffered thigh and hand injuries. Her other daughter, Olivia, 14, survived unscathed.

Ms Milligan has appealed to get the legs back following the theft. She said a pair of witnesses at the scene had told her the thieves were armed with knives.

Inside the bags that were stolen was a laptop and a running blade that Ms Milligan used for her personal training. They also contained two lifelike limbs, which match her skin tone, have hand-painted freckles and allow her to wear heels.

Each limb cost about £10,000 and will take three months to replace, leaving her unable to do some parts of her job.

Ms Milligan said: “I came out and the car lights were flashing. A couple of guys were there in a white van and they said you’ve just missed them by a couple of minutes – boys on scooters who had grabbed the bags and ran.

“I was shocked that the car had been broken into, but then my mind raced to, ‘my God, my prosthetic legs are in there’. Just total and utter shock and horror. They are so utterly valuable to me but have no value to anybody else. Nobody else would be able to get them on; they literally have no resale value. I know how time-consuming it is getting them made. It’s pretty horrendous.”

Police are investigating but have made no arrests and there is no CCTV footage of the theft.

“This is a heinous crime where heartless thieves have stolen the victim’s personal property, including her prosthetic legs,” said Metropolitan Police Inspector Darren Desa, of Hammersmith and Fulham borough. ”This is extremely distressing for the victim.”

He added: ”I would also appeal to anyone who knows where the prosthetic legs are to do the right thing and hand them in to police or inform police where they are. They are of no use to anyone but the victim.”

There has been a surge in thefts carried out by criminals on mopeds and scooters in London. There were more than 19,385 “moped-enabled” crimes in the capital – an average of 53 a day – in the year to September, including thefts and robberies.

Anyone with information can call police on 101, tweet @MetCC, or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org