A callous thief who raided a Scots charity and stole their cash is being hunted by police after being caught on camera.
The eerie hooded figure was captured breaking into a former police station in Stirling at the weekend - swiping hundreds of pounds raised to help women suffering abuse during the pandemic.
Charity Healed Scars said the culprits, thought to be two men, had caused “physical and emotional” damage to the vital service after ransacking a string of offices and businesses under the cover of darkness.
Police Scotland is investigating after being alerted to the break in at Quakerfield Business Hub in Bannockburn in the early hours of Sunday.
The thieves left a trail of destruction, prising open a locked til to steal £400 raffle cash raised by the charity and breaking down 10 doors over the space of more than an hour.
Healed Scars shared an image taken from CCTV, which showed a figure dressed in a tracksuit top and bottoms with the hood pulled up, staring into the camera moments before the raid.
Meanwhile supporters have rallied to reimburse almost all of the cash stolen from the service - which was set up last September and currently helps more than 200 women seek specialist support for trauma.
A charity spokeswoman said: “We’re just so grateful that our computers are safe and our systems and data are secure. All we lost is cash and thankfully we were able to get good CCTV footage.
“We will just keep going and keep trying to recover what is lost.
“We’re so grateful to those who have donated to us and feel very emotional. We do believe in the good in humanity.
“The priority for us is the ladies we help and we wouldn’t want that to stop because of the behaviour of others.
“We would like who is responsible to be caught due to the damage they caused physically and emotionally.
“The police have been fantastic and are trying to trace the suspect.”
Another nearby business premises is understood to have been targeted around the same time.
Local counselling service Better Mind Therapy also appealed for help catching the culprits.
In a post on its Facebook page, it said: “These premises are full of hard working occupants and part of our local community.
“This has obviously shocked this local business community and we would appeal for any information regarding this.”
Police Scotland said no one had yet been traced in connection with the incident but an investigation was ongoing.
A spokeswoman said: “In the early hours of Sunday, September 26 police were called to reports at housebreakings at two premises in the Quakerfield area.
“Enquiries are continuing.”
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