A Napier man with Down Syndrome was robbed of his backpack when he went out to buy his lunch.
The unnamed 21-year-old went out to purchase food in the Marewa Village Shopping Centre in Napier around 1.30pm on Saturday when he was allegedly robbed.
The man has not sustained any injuries but his pie, cellphone, doughnut and backpack were taken by the alleged attacker.
After the incident, he walked home and told his dad about his experience. His father then called the police, reported Hawke's Bay Today.
Mark Scullin, a member of the Support of Disability Workforce Development, said although the act against the young man was "despicable" it is not unheard of.
"I've seen it before. They need all the support they can get, and they certainly don't need to be preyed-upon and ridiculed," Scullin told Hawke's Bay Today.
According to his mother, the young man is well known within the community and has a "good relationship" with the shop owners.
The man believed it was a boy who robbed him, but his mother told Hawke's Bay Today, "a boy could be anything from 12 to 20 in his eyes".
Newshub has contacted police for comment.
