Woman heartlessly steals terminally-ill man's pokies win after he collapsed
Thomas Purtill, 80, had “decided to go up and throw a few dollars in the pokies" at his local pub in Caboolture, Brisbane. To his surprise, the pensioner won $300.
As the terminally-ill pensioner was about to collect his winnings, he collapsed during a medical episode and dropped his ticket.
“I remember landing on the floor,” Purtill, who only has six months to live, told 7News.
“I think I fell over before I got the ticket into the machine (to cash it in).”
CCTV footage from the pub showed the alleged thief looking concerned as she rushed to call pub staff.
When she returned, Purtill can be seen pointing to something by the machine, and this was when she noticed the ticket he had dropped.
The woman then moved over to the machine and allegedly pocketed the pensioner's winnings.
While Purtill received medical attention, the alleged thief escaped and used another machine to withdraw the cash.
Now, the CCTV footage has been released to help police identify the mystery woman, as they urge anyone with information to come forward.
The pensioner spend two days in hospital after the incident on November 27, and has since been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“I don’t want to die,” he said.
“But I’m going to.”
He was told he has between three to six months to live, and has since returned for treatment.
When Purtill was asked what he thought of the alleged thief's actions he said: “I can’t really say on TV. It wouldn’t be allowed.”
“If you’re that desperate … If someone came up to me and said, ‘You’ve had a win, can I have $10 to buy a loaf of bread, a bottle of milk for the kids?’, I would have given it to them.”
He then went on to call her "weak", and urged anyone who might know her to “give her up”.
Staff members have offered to reimburse Purtill for his stolen winnings.
Images: 7News