A thief who took a postbox from a funeral home containing letters to lost loved ones returned it with a heartfelt apology note and £20. The white metal box was taken from outside Hughes Funeral Directors in Cannock at about 09:00 GMT on Sunday.
Owner Kim Hughes saw it happen on CCTV and posted pictures on social media appealing for its return. It was found the next day in a park wrapped in a bin liner with a note attached saying he was “so so sorry”. It also contained a £20 note to cover the cost of repainting after damage to the paintwork.
Ms Hughes said returning the postbox showed “bravery and courage”. He did what he did, but he also did the right thing. He could have buried his head in the sand but he didn’t – and to compensate for the damages, he went above and beyond.”
She said that while her first reaction was anger that the postbox had been taken, the focus quickly became about spreading the word on social media. I’ve sat here and watched children deliver letters to their parents or grandparents; wives that lost their husbands, so it went rapidly from annoyance to getting it back,” said Ms Hughes.
According to the note, the thief saw the appeal on Facebook, which is what made him return it. He wrote: “Please forgive me for this and please believe me when I say I didn’t know what it was. With all my heart, I am so so sorry. The note added he was ashamed and he had left it in the park so it could easily be found and returned to the funeral directors.
Ms Hughes said she did not know why he had taken it, but thought he must have been struggling financially to do so. [The £20] was a massive gesture and we don’t know him to return it. If he needs it, he can have it back, it’s not an issue – the main thing for me was getting the contents back. Staffordshire Police has been contacted for comment.
Source: BBC
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