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THIEF

Petty thief returns purse to police after 40 years

Police in Vansbro, central Sweden, received a surprise package on Friday morning. A guilt-ridden thief who stole a wallet at a party 40 years ago sent it back to the station with an anonymous letter of apology.

Published: 13 March 2010 11:14 CET

The petty crook confessed his actions and regret in writing after finding the wallet with a crisp 50-crown note and running off with it in the all those years ago.

He admitted to being drunk and broke at the time. “I have bitterly regretted what I did and the problem was that I forgot where I had put it,” he wrote.

After finding it by accident he decided it was time to clear his conscience.

The wallet was intact with the original owner’s driving licence inside. The 50-kronor ($7) note had been replaced with 1,000 kronor ($142) to compensate the thief’s actions.

The police were surprised by the admission. “It’s unbelievable and we’ve never come across anything like this before,” said Vansbro police chief Lars Johansson to newspaper Dala Demokraten.

Officers went straight to work in an attempt to trace the owner.

“Unfortunately he is now deceased but we will pass on the wallet and money to his relatives,” Johansson added.

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MONACO

Monaco poor box thief caught red-handed

In Monaco, home to the super-rich on the French Riviera, a worker at the cathedral was caught literally red-handed stealing from the poor box.

Published: 15 October 2017 12:04 CEST
Monaco poor box thief caught red-handed
StockImage/Depositphotos

In early 2016, a newly arrived priest at the cathedral started to suspect the sexton of pilfering after noticing a drop in collection money.

The priest alerted the police, who put a trap in the box which would spray red paint on anyone trying to break in.

The sexton confessed after being caught with red marks on his hands.

The French resident of Cap d'Ail admitted that he had cut a second copy of the box's key before the priest had relieved him of the job of sorting the collection money.

In court this week, the defendant said he stole the money – an estimated €3,000 ($3500) – from the poor box to pay for his son's wedding.

The Monaco court gave the man a five-month suspended prison sentence and a €1,000 fine.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral collected €136,000 in 2016 and €145,000 in 2015, according to information gathered during the investigation.