Fury as defibrillator stolen from football club
BBCA football club has described the theft of its defibrillator as a "kick in the teeth" after a series of health scares.
Newcastle Blue Star, in the West End of the city, was targeted earlier this week when staff found the door to the defibrillator's secure box had been prised open and the life-saving equipment stolen.
One of the coaches Gareth Edwards said it "hits right at home" after the equipment had previously been brought on to the pitch during one of this season's under-18s games.
He said the mindless act of theft had been "soul-destroying for the people involved".
Mr Edwards had helped get the defibrillator installed at the club's stadium.
"We're very lucky to have it, it's vital that it's here," he said.
It was not needed during the youth game but having it there while they waited for the ambulance "gave reassurance to the people involved", Mr Edwards told BBC Radio Newcastle.
Hundreds of children and their families are expected to visit the club this week for open sessions.
Mr Edwards said: "It's a piece of kit that, God-forbid we need it, is not there this week."
A player and a member of the management team at the Northern Football League club had also had a heart-related health scare this year, Mr Edwards said.
"And only two weeks ago there was another non-league footballer who suffered a cardiac arrest."
Regardless of price, the defibrillator would be replaced, he said.
"They're very expensive bits of kit, but they're vital and you can't put a cost on someone's life."
The news sparked fury from hundreds of commenters online, with Mr Edwards adding: "It's so low and nobody can understand why anybody would do something so bad."