Vandals who targeted a special needs school in Co Armagh escaped with charity money for dying children, it was revealed yesterday.
It happened over the weekend at Ceara School, Sloan Street, Lurgan. Offices were ransacked and computers and money stolen.
Pupils are wheelchair-bound or suffer severe learning disabilities.
School principal Dr Peter Cunningham said: "The only money that they got was the money out of the Hospice box that we collect for children that are less well-off than them."
They took three heavily-encrypted computers but left the power leads. The intruders also wrecked offices of the school secretary and principal.
There are 96 pupils aged three to 19. The school was opened in 2001 but designed for half the number.
Mr Cunningham added: "We are looking at up to £10,000 worth of damage and I don't have that money. Every penny that we have to spend on this is money taken away from the children.
"It isn't fair, the good people of Lurgan and Craigavon have supported this school. We have children from every cultural tradition and from many different nationalities in this school and it just angers me immensely, just looking at the absolute devastation caused here."
PA