Christian Eriksen: Sports club defibrillator vandalised

A sports club has said a defibrillator was "mindlessly vandalised", a day before one saved Christian Eriksen on the football pitch.

Sudbrook Cricket Club in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, has CCTV footage of a man "ripping and kicking" at the kit in the early hours of Friday morning.

It comes as a charity called for more defibrillators in public following the footballer's cardiac arrest.

Gwent Police has appealed for help finding the culprit.

Club chairman Charlie Heaven said the defibrillator could be "the difference between life and death".

The defib device is used to treat someone in cardiac arrest, and one was used to stablise Denmark's Eriksen when he collapsed in the first game of their Euro 2020 competition.

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The incident at 03:20 BST and was reported to police when the centre opened the next day.

This is not the first time this happened to a sports club, with a similar incident in Sussex on Sunday.

Police are appealing for information about who is vandalising the kit in the CCTV

Mr Heaven said: "I think the major thing is what we saw on telly on Saturday. It is important to have that ability to help someone in time. It can be minutes and seconds.

"We've never had anything like this before, it's a friendly family club so it was a bit of shock for us and a bit mindless."

The club chairman said the actions of the individual amounted to "mindless vandalism".

"They just need to consider that someone's father, mother and child might end up on the wrong side, and not be able to be saved in time now," he added.

The club is used for various sports and activities in the community and is close to a local school