Aussie woman's heartbreaking plea after thief steals $40,000 wheelchair

An Aussie Paralympian who had her wheelchair accessible car stolen by a teenager has urged the public to be on the lookout and help her track it down.

Karni Liddell, who is also a disability advocate, posted a video explaining the heartbreaking situation. She said the thief has not only stolen her Honda Odyssey, but also the next "six months of (her) life".

"I'm hoping this could reach the person who stole my car yesterday (Sunday) in my very secure carpark in Kangaroo Point (in Queensland)," she said on TikTok.

"(It has) lots of Ferraris and Porsches and Mercedes but they stole my Honda Odyssey which also has a wheelchair hoist at the back.

"I need the wheelchair hoist to lift my 35kg wheelchair in and out of the vehicle into the boot."

A spokeswoman from Queensland Police has confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that Dutton Park Police are investigating the theft that occurred between 3.15pm on Sunday and 8am on Monday.

The teenage boy who stole her Black Honda Odyssey was captured on CCTV, riding in on a bike.

"He was a young kid and what he doesn’t realise is that he stole my independence," Ms Liddell said.

"In the morning when I released it had been stolen, I had to get my kid to school so I had mum up the road who ran down and got Kai and I had to get to the PA Hospital to do a speech around sexual harassment and disability, which luckily I made in time."

Though she said relying on maxi taxis or public transport is not "feasible or realistic".

"It's so important for us to have wheelchair-accessible cars," Ms Liddell said.

Wheelchair dumped on street by thief

On Instagram, she posted an update about her wheelchair which was dumped on the side of the road.

Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that it was found by a member of the public.

“The thief dumped my $40,000 accessible wheelchair on the side of the road in Woollangabba," Ms Liddell said.

"These wheels are sensitive and fragile and aren’t wheeling 100 percent, so they are getting looked at tomorrow.

"My Honda Odyssey car is still missing."

She has asked her local social media followers to look out for a black Honda Odyssey with the registration 361-XMU.

It also has a disability sticker at the back that reads "I'm just in it for the parking".

"The Honda Odyssey vehicle remains outstanding and is the subject of an ongoing investigation," a Queensland police spokeswoman said.

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The Paralympian said if the car wasn't found, she would have to wait at least six months to order a new one and have all the wheelchair-accessible parts added in, ABC reports.

The publication also reported the thief had hacked into some of Ms Liddell's accounts, but no money has been stolen, according to police.

Woman still recovering from floods

The theft comes as another blow to Ms Liddell's life after being forced to move houses due to the Queensland floods in March.

"In the last six months I've been renting and starting again ," she said on TikTok.

"I lost everything.

"And the wheelchair I have now is the one I lost in the floods and just got back a few weeks ago, which took about six months to get."

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