Two men arrested after CCTV footage shows wheelchair user robbed at ATM
'There’s no other words to say but two low-life grubs. They saw Julian and they took the opportunity,' say police
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Your support makes all the difference.Two men have been arrested in Sydney after police released CCTV footage which showed a wheelchair user being robbed at an ATM.
Julian Stewart, 42, has cerebral palsy and was withdrawing his disability pension when the cash was allegedly snatched out of his hands by two men who were seen loitering behind him.
He told Australian television news station Nine News: “All of a sudden, one of them just lunged at me and grabbed the money.
“They’re two young people, able-bodied – they should go out and get a job rather than stoop to those lows.”
New South Wales police released the CCTV footage on Tuesday in an appeal for anyone with information on the men to come forward.
Within an hour of posting the appeal, the video had received over 100,000 views and was shared thousands of times, police said.
On the same day, a 20-year-old man was arrested and charged with stealing. He was refused bail and is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
Another man, 20, was arrested on Wednesday morning and granted strict conditional bail. He is due to appear in court in August.
Detective Inspector David El-Badawi told reporters: “There’s no other words to say but two low-life grubs. They saw Julian and they took the opportunity.”
Superintendent Gavin Wood, of the Sydney City Police Area, thanked the media and community for their assistance in identifying and locating the two men.
“We had great support from the media in sharing the images and details out there, and the kind words and community support for Julian is nothing short of outstanding,” he said.
“The swift arrests demonstrate that the people of Sydney are as committed to fighting crime and their police force.”
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