A DISABLED man with learning difficulties was robbed at knifepoint as he walked along a Blackburn street.

Police believe the 33-year-old victim was deliberately targeted because of his disabilities.

The robber, who pointed a blade at him in Gorse Street, made off with a white Samsung Galaxy S3 mobile phone.

Detectives described the attack, which happened at around 3.30pm on November 3, as ‘despicable’.

They are appealing for witnesses, who they hope might be able to identify the man in the CCTV images they have released.

Det Sgt Eric Halford, of Blackburn CID, said: “This is a really despicable offence.

“The victim is physically disabled and has some learning difficulties and we believe the offender has clearly targeted him because of these factors.

“The location of the offence was on the brow of the hill on Gorse Street, immediately behind the Tesco filling station which will have been relatively busy at that time of day so I am certain there will have been people in the area that could have seen what happened.

“It is important people look to their conscience in this case and if they know who may have done this or have unwittingly bought a mobile phone that matches the description then they need to let us know.”

The robber was white, in his late teens or early 20s, approximately 5ft 5ins and slim with short, dark hair.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org