Gosport War Memorial Hospital nurse left ‘feeling sick’ after having scooter stolen for a second time

A NURSE who has been working throughout the pandemic is now having to get two buses and a ferry to care for her patients after having her scooter stolen for a second time.
Nurse Helen Baker, 49, has to get public transport to work after her Honda 125 PCX scooter was stolenNurse Helen Baker, 49, has to get public transport to work after her Honda 125 PCX scooter was stolen
Nurse Helen Baker, 49, has to get public transport to work after her Honda 125 PCX scooter was stolen

Helen Baker, 49, works at Gosport War Memorial Hospital on the dementia ward and is now having to use public transport which has almost trebled her journey time and put her at greater risk of Covid infection.

The dedicated nurse said: ‘It has made it very difficult for me to get to work and has added at least an hour on my journey. I’ve been left with no choice but to use public transport. This obviously increases my risk of infection and I’m worried about contracting Covid and passing it on to my patients – many of whom are vulnerable.

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‘I’ve complied with all the Covid rules since March and have avoided contact with people to ensure the safety of myself, my family and of course my patients and now I have to ride two buses and a ferry to get to work, costing around £11.60 a day.’

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It was on January 2 as Helen left her Havant Road house that she realised her Honda 125 PCX scooter had been taken. She had only recently paid £2,200 for the bike after a previous model was also stolen and found by police officers having been ‘smashed into pieces’.

Helen said: ‘I had just finished getting ready for work when I stepped outside my front door and could not see my bike. My first thought was one of confusion as to where I had parked it but then I got that sinking feeling of disbelief that it was gone and someone had taken it. I have been notified by the police that it has now been found but has considerable damage and I think it will have to be written off.’

Helen is now concerned she will not be able to afford a new bike.

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‘I think it’s absolutely disgraceful that someone would do this,; said Helen ‘I would be really annoyed during normal circumstances but I feel sick that it has happened during the pandemic.’

‘I had just had it taxed and MoT-ed and it had a full tank of petrol. It’s insured but I already made a claim last year and if I claim again then my premium is going to go right up. As an NHS nurse I can’t afford to replace this a second time,’ she added.

The police have confirmed the incident in which the bike was stolen and that a teenager was subsequently arrested.

A statement from Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘We can confirm that officers were called out to an incident at 7.44pm on Saturday, January 2 following reports of a motorbike being stolen from outside of a residential property on Havant Road. The vehicle has subsequently been recovered by police.

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‘An 18-year-old man from Southsea was arrested on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and has received a caution as a result.’

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