Thieves steal signed jersey from charity

GARDAÍ are hunting callous thieves who snatched a signed Irish jersey and cash from the offices of a charity assisting children in a Russian orphanage.

The early morning raid on the offices of the charity, To Russia With Love, came as a holiday of a lifetime for upwards of 60 orphans drew to a close in Dublin.

The jersey belonging to Roy Keane, donated by a private individual, was due to be auctioned at a charity ball in November.

Last year, a similar gift raised €2,000 for the charity.

The thieves also stole €800 donated by a dance school, long-time supporters of the Clontarf-based charity.

Charity spokesperson Patricia McGrath said, during the ransacking, a second framed Irish jersey, signed by all the team including Roy Keane, was smashed. “The stolen jersey is unique and valuable to us,” said Ms McGrath, “and if anyone is offered this jersey, please contact the gardaí.”

Attempts were also made to break into adjoining premises at the Clontarf Road offices. The break-in occurred around 5.30am last Saturday and there is a possibility the thieves may have been captured on close circuit television video.

Around the same time, 50 Russian orphans were making their way from the homes of their Irish sponsors to begin a wearisome 26-hour journey back to their orphanage in Hortolova, near Bryansk in western Russia.

The two-week holiday was the first time, in the five-year history of the charity, that orphans were permitted to visit their sponsor families in Ireland.

The children left Castleknock at 5.30am for Shannon where they flew to Minsk before taking a 14-hour bus journey back to the orphanage.

The charity, through an Irish family sponsorship scheme, assists 157 orphans in Hortolova and upwards of 500 children at three orphanages in Russia.

“The euphoria of the successful Irish holiday, a first for the charity, rapidly dissipated after the break-in,” said Ms McGrath. “Apart from the reckless thrashing of office equipment, these three heartless humans stole money donated to the charity late on Friday evening by the Billy Barry Summer School.”

The jersey was due to be auctioned at an annual charity ball in November.

“Everyone is very upset,” said Nicola Corrigan, a worker at the charity. “The jersey is probably worthless to the people who stole it, but invaluable to a small charity like ours.”