A man has admitted carrying out a “grotesque” burglary at the headquarters of a charity that cares for children with disabilities.
The burglary happened at Peterborough children’s charity Little Miracles, at The Spinney in Hartwell Way, in the early hours of 13 March.
At the time, the charity described the incident as “devastating”.
Today Louise Evans, head of income generation at Little Miracles, said: “We were really heartbroken and it was a very difficult time.
“It was extremely upsetting for some of the children, because a lot of them rely on routine and there was a huge amount of disruption, meaning their safe space was closed for a while.”
The charity building was damaged and computer equipment and toys needed to be replaced due to all the broken glass.
On June 14, Jack Hilton, 21, of no fixed address, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court and admitted one charge of burglary.
He was given court bail to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on 24 July for sentencing.
After the break-in, staff and volunteers rallied together to raise money and help the charity.
Evans said: “We did bounce back and had a huge amount of support from the community.
“There’s lots of love in the area for Little Miracles, which helped us through such a difficult time.
“We were back up and running fairly quickly with the help of local tradesmen, who made the buildings safe again. We didn’t let it defeat us.”
Among the donations was £1,000 from the Mayor’s Charities, donated by Alan Dowson, who was mayor of the city when the burglary took place.
A fundraising web page also raised more than £2,000 to help the charity get back on its feet.