A heroin addict couple who kidnapped a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic so they could rob him of £6 to fund their drug habit have been jailed.
Adam Webster, 38, and Sarah Harcourt, 35, abducted Stephen Dooley, 38, from his book stall at a council activity centre in Norwich and pushed him to a nearby park to take his money.
The pair, who have almost 100 previous convictions between them, robbed the helpless disabled man of what little coins he had and then left him to get home on his own last August.Their victim Mr Dooley was struck down by meningitis as a nine-day-old baby and left disabled by the devastating illness.He was waiting to be picked up from Norwich's Vauxhall Resource Centre when the thieves wheeled him to nearby Chapelfield Gardens and mugged him of all his cash.
The crime has left Mr Dooley too devastated and terrified to go out and confidence is in tatters, the court heard.
In his own victim statement, he said: 'Working on the book stall was the one thing I did by myself.
'I enjoyed doing this and I miss it lots.
'I could go alone in a taxi.
'It was nice to be able to go to the centre without my family, but now I am too scared to go.'
Harcourt, of Norwich, had already admitted robbery and kidnap when she was jailed yesterday.
Webster, also of Norwich, was found guilty of both offences after he was tried at Norwich Crown Court last month.
Giving evidence during the trial from behind a screen with the help of an interpreter and intermediary, Mr Dooley told Richard Potts, prosecuting, how he was 'afraid and scared' when he was kidnapped.
Jonathan Morgans, defending Harcourt, who has 43 previous convictions for 97 offences between 1992 and 2013, said she wanted to 'apologise' for what she had done.
Mr Morgans said the crimes were committed against a background of an 'out of control drug addiction' to heroin.
Lori Tucker, for Webster, who has 37 convictions relating to 117 offences, said he was a 'subordinate' in the offence.
She said he too had been addicted to heroin from just 13 after an 'extremely unhappy childhood' during which he was the victim of abuse.
Judge Anthony Bate jailed Webster for six years and Harcourt for four years, 12 weeks at the crown court yesterday.
He said they both had 'appalling criminal records' and became 'partners in opportunistic crimes'.Judge Bate told the couple: 'This was a despicable joint crime driven by self-centred greed and as usual an utter disregard for your victim's feelings.'
Last night Mr Dooley's shocked father, the Rev Gerald Dooley, said he struggled to comprehend why two people would do this and said the crime was 'way outside humanity'.
The vicar said in a statement after the case: 'Your hear things all the time but you never think something like this will happen to your family.'Stephen's proud sister Vicky Shucksmith said she admired her brother's immense bravery to give evidence in court.
She said: 'The trial lasted for three weeks and Stephen gave evidence over three days.
'It was hard for us and distressing to see but he wanted to do it.
'He didn't want them to get away with it.'
Investigating officer, Det Con Jim Starling, of Norwich CID, said afterwards: 'Harcourt and Webster are the lowest of the low.
'For two people to target a man who clearly has no means of defending himself or even calling for help is beyond belief.
'Stephen would have been visibly distressed during the incident, but this didn't stop them pushing him to the park and robbing him of a few pounds before abandoning him on the street.'
He added: 'Stephen needs constant care and is never alone and, understandably, has been left very distressed by what happened.
After sentencing both defendants, Judge Bate paid tribute to the 'spirit' and 'strength of personality' of Mr Dooley.
He said: 'Whilst this experience has undoubtedly been distressing for him, I hope that, with time and the loving support of his close family, he will gain a measure of closure and begin to engage again with the outside world, which I believe is enriched by his company.'
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