Money flows in after frail pensioner mugged

British Police officers at a crime scene. FILE PHOTO | ANDREW COWIE |

What you need to know:

  • Alan Barnes’s frailty made him an easy victim for the thug who tried to rob him.
  • Reading his story, kind-hearted Katie Cutler, 21, a beautician, set up an online donations page.
  • Within seven days, the appeal had reached an astonishing £312,000 (Sh43 million) and was still growing

Alan Barnes would probably be the first to admit he looks peculiar.

Aged 67, he is only 4ft 6in (1.3 metres) in height, has a large head without hair, a drooping pointed nose, skinny arms and weak eyesight, all the result of his mother having German measles during pregnancy.

The pensioner’s frailty made him an easy victim for the thug who tried to rob him.

Alan was pushing his garbage bin to the front of his house when he was attacked from behind.

Said Alan: “The man shouted ‘Give me your money.’ I said I didn’t have any money and he went through my pockets and then pushed me down against a fence and broke my collar bone. I shouted for help and he ran away.”

When Alan was interviewed by the local papers in Newcastle upon Tyne, he said he was frightened to return home and had moved in with his sister several miles away.

ENOUGH TO BUY A MANSION

Reading his story, kind-hearted Katie Cutler, 21, a beautician, set up an online donations page, hoping to raise £500 (Sh68,850) to buy a few comforts for Alan.

Within seven days, the appeal had reached an astonishing £312,000 (Sh43 million) and was still growing — enough for Alan to buy himself a mansion if he wished.

Donations topped 22,000, many of them just £5 (Sh688), from Canada, Holland, America, Saudi Arabia and many other places around the world, as well as Britain.

There have also been offers of practical help from plumbers, electricians, carpet layer and kitchen fitters. Offers of furniture donations arrived and several schools said they had started fund-raising.

When Katie visited Alan, he said: “Katie will be my friend forever. I always knew there were lots of good people in the world. Just saying thank you does not seem enough.”

During their meeting, Alan demonstrated his special skill at mental arithmetic. When Katie told him her date of birth, he told her she had been alive for 7,923 days. She laughed and they hugged.

Alan said no decision had been made about the money but it would probably be put in a trust fund. Katie said she was taking professional advice about when to close the appeal.

Last week, I wrote of a hungry and homeless man who smashed a shop’s windows so he would go to prison and get food and a bed. He was showered with sympathy from the public but as one Kenya reader pointed out, there were no concrete offers of help.

Alan Barnes’ case suggests that if a method is available, as with modern technology, people will respond with generosity.

* * * * *
There has been a significant rise in grumbles about the British police — some 35,000 complaints were registered last year, an increase on 2013 of 15 per cent.

Thirty-eight of the country’s 43 regional forces recorded an increase, according to the Independent Police Commission.

Top of the list were complaints of neglect of duty, followed by charges that police were rude and intolerant towards members of the public, including victims of crime.

Mr Alex Duncan of the Police Federation described the figures as disappointing and blamed government cuts in force numbers.

There were now 35,000 fewer people in the force since 2010, he said, leading to police men and women and civilian station staff being overworked and exhausted.

“These figures reflect a service that is starting to creak under pressure,” he said.

* * * * *

An old man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the cinema. The usher told him he could only have one seat. He didn’t budge.

The manager came and threatened to call the police. The old man remained unmoved.

Finally a policeman came, opened his notebook and asked, “Right, what’s your name?” “Fred,” said the old man. “Where are you from, Fred?” Groaning, Fred replied, “The balcony…”

* * * * *

Sister Mary Ann, a nursing nun, was visiting her housebound patients when she ran out of petrol.

She walked to a service station but there were no spare jerricans, so she returned to her car for something that would take enough petrol to get her started.

Spotting a bedpan, she decided that would do, filled it with petrol and returned to the car.

As she was pouring the petrol into her tank, two Baptists watched from across the street. One turned to the other and said, “If it starts, I’m turning Catholic.”

* * * * *

The policeman pulled up next to an old man throwing rubbish from his van into a ditch.

“Why are you dumping garbage in the ditch?” the cop asked. “Don’t you see that sign over your head?”

“Sure,” the oldie said, “That’s why I’m dumping it here!”

The sign said, Fine For Dumping Garbage.