Frantic search continues for blade

A frantic search by gardaí and volunteers is continuing for a carbon fibre blade - a running leg for amputees - which was stolen from the car of a well-known paralympic athlete from Clones. Shane McLoughlin (42) needs his 'Oscar Pistorius’ type blade to compete in an international athletics meeting in Berlin next week.

He and the Gardaí in Monaghan are appealing to the thieves who stole the blade to return it without fear of prosection. The custom-made blade was stolen last weekend from Shane’s unlocked car outside his home at Clonkeencole in Clones.

Shane discovered the theft from his car at around 4am last Saturday morning when he got up to make his baby a bottle. He looked out the window and saw a back door of the car open.  “I thought that was very strange, so I went outside. I looked in the car, the glove compartment was ransacked. I looked behind the back of the seat and the blade was gone,” he said.

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