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Mystery shoplifter issues apology 40 years on

By T.K. Randall
July 15, 2018 · Comment icon 11 comments

The theft must have weighed heavily on the man's conscience. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Mohammed Moosa
An anonymous shoplifter has written a letter to apologize for stealing chocolate from a shop four decades ago.
The man sent the letter - along with a crisp five-pound note to cover the cost of the stolen goods - to Belle Vale Shopping Center in Liverpool, England recently.

"I stole two bars of chocolate from Woolworths in your shopping center in 1975, when I was a little boy," he wrote. "I apologise, I didn't know any better here's the money I owe you for them."
Because the shop in question is no longer in business, officials at the shopping center took the decision to donate the money to a children's hospice charity.

"In a time of division, it is great to see an act of kindness that restores faith in humanity," said a spokesman for the center. "Belle Vale Shopping Centre wants to thank the sender and acknowledge his apology. It is a positive message that is worth sharing to encourage all to be kind."



Source: Liverpool Echo | Comments (11)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #2 Posted by Eldorado 6 years ago
This has me wondering how many people alive today are guilty of stealing a sweet or two from the old Woolworths Pick n Mix.  Couple of million?
Comment icon #3 Posted by Imaginarynumber1 6 years ago
What atrocious handwriting
Comment icon #4 Posted by Stiff 6 years ago
Couple of million and one  Also, the handwriting looks like he wrote it when he was a small boy. That's not a dig btw, when I've not written anything for a while my handwriting could be construed  as a doctors.
Comment icon #5 Posted by Still Waters 6 years ago
He must have had one heck of a guilty conscience!  I wonder why now? but I think it's good he apologised even if it did take him 40 years to get around to it. At least his conscience is clear now and his £5 is going to a good cause.  
Comment icon #6 Posted by Vox 6 years ago
Anyone stopped to consider that the individual in question might have learning disabilities? Rationale: Poor capitalisation. Consistent mistakes in respects to grammar. Use of a brown slip of paper to write a letter - looks like the back side of a brown C5 envelope. As much as a gesture is concerned, and notwithstanding its positive message, it does come across as a somewhat childish and naive thing to do. I would have thought that an ordinary adult would have internalised this action as a child and not placed much more thought towards the matter. I understand that it might very well be someon... [More]
Comment icon #7 Posted by ouija ouija 6 years ago
My guess is they don't have long to live(or think they don't), and are trying to put right as many of the 'sins' they think they have committed as possible. Probably Catholic; want their Maker to see them in as good a light as possible when they meet.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Stiff 6 years ago
It could also be part of a program like the Alcohol Anonymous use with their 12 step program. One of the them I believe is to 'right previous wrongs' kind of thing. That could explain the hand writing too. Not that I know anything about the AA mind. It was my other half that mentioned it. (I must ask her how she knows so much about it  )
Comment icon #9 Posted by Myles 6 years ago
My guess is that his parent forced him to write this way back when it happened, but it never was sent.   He found it in a box of mementos and decided to finish the job.   
Comment icon #10 Posted by Calibeliever 6 years ago
Or it could be "Step 9: Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Someone might be taking their step work a little seriously. 
Comment icon #11 Posted by TripGun 6 years ago
Mom must have found out.


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