A remorseful thief who stole a 'postbox to heaven' from a funeral directors has returned it with £20 and a grovelling apology note saying - "I'm sorry, I'm a scumbag." The crook caused public outrage when he was caught on CCTV pinching the box from Hughes Funeral Directors in Cannock, Staffordshire, on Sunday morning (March 12).
The white-painted pillar box had been installed by the family-run business so grieving relatives cold write letters to deceased love ones. Owner Kim Hughes, 38, was left ‘mortified’ when she watched back the footage and saw the hooded man walking off with the box filled with letters to dead relatives.
But after she posted footage of the heartless theft on Facebook - the guilt-ridden offender had a change of heart and returned it the following day. He also enclosed £20 for paint after he damaged the postbox and wrote a letter admitting "I'm a scumbag" and added: "With all my heart I'm so so sorry."
Staffordshire Police has confirmed officers are still investigating the theft and urged any witnesses to get in touch. The note read: "I'm putting £20 in for you to repaint it I'm so so sorry.
"I would just like to say I'm so so sorry for taking the post box I didn't read any letter or anything saying wot [sic] it was. That does not make it right in any way. I'm a scum bag for even taking it to start with. It was late when I saw it on Facebook and I'm a coward, a low-life (p***k).
"Please forgive me for this and please believe me when I say I didn't know what it was. I have put it where you will have it brought back to you because I am a fool who is so ashamed for what I have done.
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"I am really sorry honestly with all my heart I'm so so sorry."
Mum-of-two Kim said: "We are just glad to have it back now so families can carry on finding comfort from it."
CCTV cameras at the funeral directors had captured the offender pulling up at 9am in a silver van before snatching the post box. The box, which was only installed in December, allows families to send letters to their lost loved-ones and is usually kept inside the office.
The decision was made to have it installed outside to give families the chance to send letters even when the office was closed in the run up to Mother's Day. Speaking before it was returned, Kim said: "Your heart sinks, we were absolutely mortified.
“All he’d probably get opening that was a picture some children drew for their grandad. It's gutting, because we were just trying to do something nice.
"It's normally in our office but with Mother's Day coming up we decided to put it outside. We purchased it out of our own money and it was meant to be a continued support for families.
“One woman said it was a really good idea as she found her daughter's letters to her grandad under her bed now she had somewhere to send them. If he could just do the right thing now, bring it back and admit he took it, we can just move on."
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: "On Sunday (March 12) we received a report concerning the theft of a post box from Broad Street in Cannock. Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, can contact us via 101 or online, quoting incident number 631 of 12 March."
