A ‘DISGRACEFUL’ NHS engineer took advantage of disabled people in order to steal from them.

Daniel Hopper worked fixing electric scooters and wheelchairs in Bolton.

He managed to gain the trust of some of the people he had carried out repairs for, Bolton Crown Court heard yesterday. The first victim was a man who needed a wheelchair because he was missing a leg.

Hopper, aged 37 and of Woodpark Close in Oldham, fitted a battery to the wheelchair and they formed a relationship. In June 2016, Hopper started to stay with the man, whose wife had recently died.

He lent Hopper a computer tablet and an e-book reader, which had both belonged to his wife and Hopper sold them. In August 2016 Hopper stole £90 from a woman he said was to fix her mobility scooter. He disappeared after taking the cash and ignored text messages from her.

He also stole £20 from a person he had previously met when he fixed the wheelchair used by their son, who had cerebral palsy.

Hopper appeared saying his car had broken down and needed a lift to a petrol station and £20 and after he was given the cash was not seen again. He also stole £70 from the father of an employee at Royal Bolton Hospital.

The man only had one leg and in December 2015 Hopper offered to sell the man’s scooter for him and the victim was left without a scooter and the sale never took place. Six months later Hopper returned the scooter but it did not work and he said he needed £70 for parts. The scooter vanished and the man was left housebound, until it was found in a workshop at the hospital.

Timothy Savage, defending, said his client recognises it was disgraceful behaviour and he was ashamed and embarrassed.

Hopper was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months after admitting four counts of theft and must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

A Royal Bolton Hospital spokesman said: “The individual concerned no longer works for the Trust. As soon as we were made aware of the allegations concerning him, the appropriate actions were taken and the police were informed.”