Michael Palmer, pictured above with wife Patricia, is disabled after falling from a roof while working 47 years ago
A disabled great-grandfather was horrified to return to his car to find an obscene note branding him a ‘tw**’ because he was forced to park across two spaces.
Michael Palmer, 65, suffers from painful spinal stenosis meaning his spice could snap at any moment.
He was left upset and hurt by the note which including a lewd drawing of a penis.
The grandparent had parked at Tesco in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday morning.
Because the bays are narrow and he is bound to a wheelchair, conscientious Mr Palmer parked his Rover 75 estate across two spots to ensure he didn’t damage other cars.
When he came back to the car after doing his shopping, he was stunned to discover a vile note left under his windscreen wiper branding him a ‘tw**’ for his parking and a childish drawing of the male anatomy.
The retired carpenter said: ‘I was disgusted when I saw the note – for someone to leave that on my car especially as I had my blue badge on which I always have is just unbelievable.
‘If I hadn’t had my blue badge you can understand getting irate but I did.
‘Disabled people already get quite a lot of abuse for being allowed to stop temporarily on double yellow lines but this is something else.
‘I would rather people speak to me rather than leave notes like that. I’m pretty easy going but what if they’d left the note on someone else’s windscreen who would get really upset? It’s not right.’
The great grandad of one said they arrived at 10.30am and he was in the store with wife Patricia for 15 minutes.
Mr Palmer said: ‘All the disabled bays were taken and so were all the parent and child spaces.
‘My wife pointed out two spaces together which would mean I could open my door wide enough without bashing other people’s paintwork to get out.
‘Disgusting’: Mr Palmer was left upset and hurt by the note which including a lewd drawing of a penis
He said: ‘I hobbled out and got a trolley and we got a few bits – we were in the store for 15 minutes, if that. I got back in the car as my wife Patricia put the trolley back when I noticed something on the window.
‘I was disgusted with it. The blue badge was clear to see they could have thought “maybe the people in that car have a problem” and leave it.’
Mr Palmer fell from a roof while at work 47 years ago and slammed into a concrete floor which left him paralysed from the waist down for six months.
It left him with the ‘mother of all backaches’ ever since and believes has contributed to the degenerative changes in the lumbar spine with spinal stenosis – which is calcifying his spinal cord and makes walking difficult.
He said: ‘My legs are like jelly – it’s like I’m a cross between someone who’s had an accident in their underwear and someone who’s drunk.
I’m angry about it – I think people should be more respectful to disabled people. They may need more space or even just a helping hand at times.’
‘Walking puts pressure on your spine which means it’s very painful – it’s my old injuries catching up with me.
‘My spine will eventually snap – there’s nothing they can do. It just depends how fast the calcification is.’
Mr Palmer said he and his wife didn’t spot the note writer but believes they saw someone pass in a car to admire their handiwork and see the pair’s response.
He said: ‘As we were sat in the car I saw another car go past with some people in looking – they were driving round to see if I would leave.
‘I took it off the window – I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me react.’
Their fuming daughter Marina MacKelden has hit out at the poison letter writer urging them to think first before penning another note.
Graphic designer Marina, 42, said: ‘I’m angry about it – I think people should be more respectful to disabled people and acknowledge that their disabilities do mean they may need more space or even just a helping hand at times.’
Tesco has been approached for comment.