A charity which brings Russian orphans on holidays to Ireland has suffered the theft of €800 and a signed Irish soccer jersey from its offices in Dublin.
The To Russia With Lovecharity said three people were caught on camera breaking into the offices at Clontarf Road at 5.05 a.m. on Saturday.
The charity said that apart from the "reckless thrashing" of office equipment, the "three heartless humans" stole €800, collected late on Friday afternoon by the Billie Barry summer school, long-time supporters of the charity.
Also, the burglars smashed a frame containing a signed Irish soccer jersey and took the jersey, which was a valuable auction prize for the To Russia With Loveannual ball on November 6th next.
A spokeswoman said the jersey is unique and valuable and she urged anyone who is offered it to contact the Garda in Clontarf immediately.
A Garda spokesman confirmed there had been a burglary at the charity's office, but but had no further details.
Some 60 children from an orphanage in Hortolova, near Bryansk in western Russia were leaving their host families following a two-week visit to Ireland just at the time the burglary occurred.
They left Ireland at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning to begin the 26-hour journey back to the orphanage via Shannon airport for a flight to Minsk. From there, they faced another 14-hour bus journey to Hortolova.