Heartless burglar takes Wolves fans' charity money meant for hospice
The editor of Wolves fanzine, The Tatter had his home broken in to by thieves who escaped with more than £600 of charity money intended for Compton Hospice.
Richard Perkins discovered at around 5am on Wednesday that £658 in cash had been stolen from his house while he was sleeping, along with his car, jacket and other items.
The money was a mixture of donations made by Wolves fans and proceeds from the sale of the fanzine, and had been set aside by Mr Perkins to be donated to Compton Hospice early next year.
Police confirmed they were investigating, while Wolves said they would be getting in touch to see how the club can help.
"I'm absolutely gutted," said Mr Perkins. "The newspaper's only meant to be something for the fans to read and something to generate money for the charity. I'm heartbroken about it."
He has been selling the fanzine at Wolves games for six months and sells around 400 copies per game at £1 per issue.
Wolves fans have rallied round Mr Perkins, with appeals placed on both the Dingles Ay We and 1877 Facebook groups, which collectively have a membership of nearly 7,000 fans.
In an attempt to replace the lost funds, Mr Perkins has set up a page on the donation website JustGiving on Thursday, with £320 donated in just a few hours.
Amanda Amato, who administers the 1877 Facebook group, said: "I'm truly devastated that somebody could do this."
"I'm trying to restore Tatters's faith in humanity," she said.
Mr Perkins currently intends to replace any shortfall with his own money and to make the donation to Compton Hospice as planned.
"I'm going to try and cover the costs out of my own pocket. The generosity of Wolves fans got the total to what it is and I don't want any of that to go to waste."
"It'll be a struggle because it's Christmas but I'll do what I can," he said.
Grace Ruston, head of PR and Marketing for Compton Hospice, said: "We're always grateful for anybody that chooses to raise funds on our behalf. Like many charities we always struggle.
"It's really sad to hear that Mr Perkins not only had to deal with that devastating break in but also the money for us being taken as well."
"We really appreciate all the efforts he's gone to for us. We just want to thank him for everything he's done."
Matt Grayson, spokesman for Wolves, said: "We're really sorry to hear about the burglary. We know Richard well and we will be getting in contact with him to see what we can do."
If you wish to help Mr Perkins to replace the stolen money, you can make a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/wolves-tatter/.
