A severely handicapped child’s mobility car was stolen as his desperate dad tried to bring him round from a seizure

David Uren had just gone back inside after turning the engine of his Vauxhall Astra on to warm the car ahead of taking six-year-old Christian to Medway Maritime Hospital.

But as he prepared to take the youngster outside, he realised an opportunist thief had spotted the keys in the ignition and taken the vehicle.

The 40-year-old says he could not believe the theft, which happened at 10pm Sunday, as it could not have been more than two minutes he was inside.

He said: "Because Christian was so poorly, I decided to take him to the hospital. I put the keys in the ignition and returned to the house to pick him up because he was fitting. I didn’t hear the car go."

Mr Uren managed to deal with Christian’s fit and was forced to abandon taking him to hospital. He reported the theft to Sittingbourne police.

Luckily for the family, the car was discovered on Tuesday in nearby Tavistock Close and is now being examined by police forensic officers.

An angry Mr Uren is now calling for the public’s help to identify the thief.

He said: "My son has had a very hard life, he is severely disabled, he can’t walk, he suffers from autism and epilepsy and the car is essential to us, without it he is housebound."

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~Listen: Hear dad David Uren of Sittingbourne tell of the moment he discovered his car had been stolen>>>

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At first it looked as though his insurance company would not permit the use of a courtesy car because Mr Uren had left the keys in the ignition.

But they relented, and offered a replacement vehicle supplied by Pomphreys of Sittingbourne.

But Mr Uren says he will leave no stone unturned to catch the offender.

"I want people to tell the police if they know anything about this.

"Little Christian will probably never walk and in December last year he had to have two hip operations. He has been through a terrible lot," he said.

The stolen car contained Christian’s specially adapted car seat and his wheelchair which were found in the abandoned car.

For a while, Mr Uren faced the prospect of being completely housebound with his son who can suffer up to eight epileptic fits a day.

Christian was born prematurely weighing just two pounds four ounces. He is profoundly disabled and Mr Uren is his full-time carer, although he does attend Meadowfields School in Sittingbourne.

A police spokesman said: "After a thorough search of the area by local police officers from the Mid Kent Neighbourhood Task Team, the car was found on Tuesday and has now been removed from the scene and has been forensically examined."

Sgt Darren Ryder, who leads the Neighbourhood Task Team, said: "The theft of this car caused great distress to the owner, as the car is a lifeline to the family who need it to transport their disabled child and his wheelchair.

"We have been working closely with the family to try to find the car and we are pleased that we have located it undamaged and will be able to reunite them with it shortly."

Police want to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the car being stolen on Sunday night, or may have seen it being left in Tavistock Close.

• Anyone who knows anything about this crime, or who may have been responsible, can contact police on 01795 419182 quoting reference CY/001794/09 or call Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.