A robber targeting vulnerable people has been branded a coward by one of his wheelchair-bound victims.

Jacqueline Appleton-Killip, 54, was approached by the man in Manchester Road on Monday night. He grabbed the handbag on her lap but the strap was wrapped tightly round her wrist and he ran off empty-handed.

It is the latest in a spate of robberies on vulnerable victims in the Marshfields area of the city. Bradford-based disabled help group DIAL said today enough was enough and called on the police to take the culprits out of society. Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood also condemned the robbers, branding the attacks an outrage.

Mrs Appleton-Killip, who has a broken right hip and suffers from osteoporosis, was on her way home and husband Leonard Killip, 57, was pushing the wheelchair.

"I'm still shook up and haven't been out of the house since," she said. "He was just a coward picking on a woman in a wheelchair but luckily he didn't hurt me. I saw two young men standing in the doorway of Charlie Browns and as we got closer the older one ran over.

"I thought nothing of it at first. Then he tried to grab my bag but he couldn't get it off me. My husband was shouting at him to go away and leave us alone. Luckily, he didn't hurt us and didn't get away with anything."

Peter Clarke, manager of DIAL, said: "It's worrying that for all the reassurances given by the police and Home Office over the last few years these incidents are still happening and, if anything, getting worse. Enough is enough. The police should be targeting these offenders and taking them out of society."

Councillor Greenwood, a ward Councillor for the Marshfields area, said: "Marshfields is a close-knit community and I am sure people will be outraged. It would be helpful for the police to engage with the community and let them know what's going on. If people are aware of the situation they can watch out for their neighbours."

Police have linked the attempted robbery to similar incidents in the Marshfields area. A 31-year-old woman was punched in the face after she handed over £20 to a man who demanded money from her in Broadway Avenue. Another attack happened in Marsh Street, when a man was punched in the face after being approached by two youths. And a 24-year-old man with learning difficulties was pushed into a doorway by two young men who punched him and took his mobile phone near Broadway Avenue.

Police are hunting two men of Asian appearance, in their late teens or early 20s, 5ft 8in to 6ft tall, of slim to medium build, both with drawn faces and a long thin nose, wearing baseball caps or woolly hats, and smart casual clothing.

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