Thieves have stolen a defibrillator that was given to football club in Cwmbran after one of their players passed away during a training game.
Chris Hallett, vice-chair, of Lucas Cwmbran AFC, said he was “gutted” that the lifesaving piece of kit had been taken in the burglary. Welsh Hearts and the Football Association of Wales donated the defibrillator to them after Derrick ‘Degs’ Williams died in July 2019 from cardiac arrest.
Chris said: “We are a community-based sports provider having football and rugby teams based at Girling Sports Ground. We took on a self-management lease of the facilities from Torfaen Council in 2015.
“Since then we have experienced many break-ins to our pavilion causing thousands of pounds of damage and stolen property. Over the last 12 months, the pavilion and storage containers have been subject to repeated break-ins and we have tried to increase security.
“Our members were regularly visiting the ground, engaging with and moving on groups of youths but since lockdown we have been unable to keep up this extra vigilance. We were badly flooded out during the storms a few months back. We have not been able to recover and repair the pavilion after that event and now this.
“It was reported to me via social media that our pavilion appeared to have been burgled again on Thursday evening. I attended on Friday to find an emergency exit door wide open.
“I found the kids’ club room kitchen to be empty of all their tuck shop goods, the main kitchen area was ransacked and this is where we stored our defibrillator.
“I’m gutted. I have no idea why they would take that. I’m hoping it’s been thrown in a hedge and we can get it back. It’s bright orange, you can’t miss it.”
Did you see anything? Report it to Gwent Police
Please call 101 or message Gwent Police on Facebook and give crime reference number- 69/18.04.2020.
Photos- Thanks to Lucas Girling FC and the family or ‘Degs’ for permission to use the photos.
The club is still getting over the damage from the storms in February.
