Christmas presents destined for seriously ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital have been stolen.
The wrapped gifts, including portable DVD players, DVDs, and Nintendo DS consoles along with games and toys, were snatched from an area of the Camden hospital which is out of bounds to the public, police said.
The 20 presents were intended for youngsters in the hospital’s intensive care unit and are believed to have been stolen between Friday and Monday.
The items had been bought from the hospital’s charity fund.
Insp Neal Anderson, from Camden borough, said “To steal presents that were supposed to be for children too sick to be at home with their families at Christmas is beyond belief.
“I would urge anyone who has information about the individual, or persons responsible, to contact officers so that we can try and get the items back before Christmas Day.
“I would also urge the thief to try and think about their actions and do the decent thing and return them.”
Celtic Football Club has volunteered to replace the Christmas presents.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and ask for the CID office at Holborn. or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here