Hunt for hospital thief who whispered 'that's very nice' to a bedbound widower, 83, before stealing his wedding ring off his finger
- Elderly father was an in-patient at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth
- Hampshire Police have also confirmed they are investigating
A hunt is on for a thief who whispered 'that's very nice' and ripped the wedding ring off an 83-year-old patient's finger as he lay helpless in hospital.
Laura Martin, from Portsmouth, said her elderly father has been an in-patient at the city's Queen Alexandra Hospital since Good Friday.
Her parents were married for 47 years and after her mother Mary died three years ago, her father insisted that he would always wear the treasured wedding ring.
The gold ring is engraved with her mother's name and the date her parents got married.
But when Laura visited him on Saturday, April 6, he told her the ring had been violently pulled from his finger during the night.
Today the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust apologised and said an 'internal review' had been launched. Hampshire Police have also confirmed they are investigating.
Laura Martin, from Portsmouth, said her elderly father (pictured on his wedding day) has been an in-patient at the city's Queen Alexandra Hospital since Good Friday
The gold ring is engraved with Laura's mother's name and the date her parents got married
Laura said: 'Mum passed away three years ago, and my dad has worn his wedding ring for 50 years without ever taking it off.
'It's not worth anything, it's just sentimental and I want to get it back for him. A low-life scum literally ripped it off his hand while he slept overnight.
'My dad has delirium, most of the time he doesn't know what's going on.'
Laura also added that her father remembered the ring being 'ripped off his hand in the dark' and he told her he had been 'robbed'.
'He told me they said it was 'very nice' and twisted it off his finger. He has been left with a mark and bruising.
'It's disgusting what's happened to my dad, we want the ring returned.'
Today the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust apologised and said an 'internal review' had been launched
Peter Ridley, chief officer at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, said 'We are very sorry this incident occurred whilst the patient was in our care and for the distress this has caused.
'The theft has been reported to the police and we have launched an internal review into the incident to ensure we can learn any lessons and improve the management and safety of patient property.
'We are in contact with the patient and their family and will share the outcomes with them.
'We ask all patients to not bring valuables into the hospital whenever possible, however we understand that some items, like wedding rings, hold huge sentimental value and are not regularly removed by patients.'
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said 'We received a report at 11.53 on Saturday 6 April of a theft at QA Hospital.
'A patient aged in his 80s had a wedding ring removed from his finger at the hospital.'
