‘Disappointment’ as Hartlepool defibrillator destroyed

A charity says it is “disappointed” as one of its most used defibrillators has been destroyed beyond repair.

The defibrillator, stolen from the West View Project building on Miers Avenue, in Hartlepool, was found damaged in a nearby field on Monday.

It is one of 84 defibrillators in the town, designed to save people in cardiac arrest.

Kelly Cairns, a trustee of DS43 Community Defibrillators, which owns the machines, said this particular defibrillator was used “just last week” and left the community in “a vulnerable situation”.

She said: “The defibrillator is only useful when someone is in cardiac arrest. It is not useful or valuable for anything else.

“It is easy for us to install it as a charity, this is what we do day in and day out, however as it is the Christmas period, the building is closed, suppliers are closed, so we will be looking to reinstate it early in the new year now.

“But, like always, the community of Hartlepool has come together and been in touch, wanting to donate to try and get this up and running as quickly as possible.”

Mrs Cairns said CCTV footage has been sent to Cleveland Police.

She said: “I can only assume it has just been done out of pure boredom.”

Police have urged anyone with information to contact the force, quoting reference number 243380.