Paralympian appeals for return of stolen running blade

The Co Monaghan athlete who had his carbon fibre blade - a running leg for amputees - stolen from a car outside his home has appealed for the thieves to return it.

Shane McLaughlin (42), who is due to compete in an international athletics meeting in Berlin in 10 days, said the blade was worthless to anyone else as it had been custom made to fit him. It cost more than €10,000.

Mr McLaughlin competes in the shot put and discus and is working towards securing a place in the Olympics next year.

He asked whoever had taken the blade from a car outside his house in Clones on Friday night or early on Saturday to just “leave it back”.

Mr McLaughlin lower left leg was amputated in 2012 after a series of operations on the leg which was damaged when he was kicked by an animal in 2001. In the years after the injury he had 56 operations on the leg.

The athlete said he became aware something was wrong when his dog started growling at 4am on Saturday, waking his baby

“I got up to get to get the child a bottle and when I looked out the window the back passenger door was open”.

When Mr McLaughlin looked in the car he realised it had been ransacked and the blade taken. He walked the roads leading to his house and found items taken from his car discarded on the roadside, including a photograph of his father, he told RTE's Morning Ireland programme.

Mr McLaughlin has a second prosthetic leg for day to day use but the one that was stolen is designed for training and competing.

He funds his athletics career himself and with the aid of local sponsors. Even if the leg is not returned Mr McLaughlin said he planned to compete in Berlin. “I’ll go to it [Berlin]. People have given me money to go.”

“The blade is a custom fit for the injured party and is of no use to any other person,” gardaí said. “The blade is for a left lower limb”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Monaghan Garda station on (047) 77200 or the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.