Heartless thief is caught on CCTV stealing a 'postbox to heaven' from a funeral directors
SWNS
2023-03-13
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Police are hunting a heartless thief who was caught on CCTV stealing a 'postbox to heaven' from a funeral directors.
The lowlife crook struck at Hughes Funeral Directors in Cannock, Staffs., who set up the postbox so grieving people could write to deceased loved 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.
CCTV cameras at the family-run business captured the offender pulling up at 9am on Sunday (12/3) in a silver van before snatching the heavy item.
Kim shared video of the callous theft on Facebook, which has since prompted widespread condemnation from angry members of the public.
Mum-of-two 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 was clearly premeditated. He pulled up with his hood already up. The door swung over and the van reversed back.
"He ran, scooped up the postbox and ran back to the van.
“It's gutting, because we were just trying to do something nice."
The postbox, 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 the box installed outside to give grieving families the chance to send letters even when the office was closed.
Kim added: "It's normally in our office but with Mother's Day coming up we decided to put it outside.
“Where it was located, we thought it was perfectly fine. To watch them take it was mortifying.
“We purchased it out of our own money and it was meant to be a continued support for families.
“If he had come to me asking for some money to buy his own postbox I would’ve thought about giving him some.
“I don’t want revenge, I just want the box back for our families. I'd rather him steal our phones.
“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."
Kim says her postbox was not linked to similar ones being installed at crematoriums following the idea of nine-year-old Matilda Handy.
Matilda hit the headlines with her heartwarming suggestion they would be a way to send her late gran and granddad cards and letters in heaven.
Kim added: "We had the idea and then saw that a crematorium had done the same thing but it was quite far away.
"I said it’s going to look like we copied them. As far as I'm aware, we’re the only funeral directors with a postbox to heaven.
"We have had a family saying they will buy a new one for us. We contacted police who suggested social media might help with the appeal.
“I'm praying, probably naively, that this one will turn up purely because it has some letters in it.
“There's still some nice people out there though. We will replace it either way."
The lowlife crook struck at Hughes Funeral Directors in Cannock, Staffs., who set up the postbox so grieving people could write to deceased loved 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.
CCTV cameras at the family-run business captured the offender pulling up at 9am on Sunday (12/3) in a silver van before snatching the heavy item.
Kim shared video of the callous theft on Facebook, which has since prompted widespread condemnation from angry members of the public.
Mum-of-two 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 was clearly premeditated. He pulled up with his hood already up. The door swung over and the van reversed back.
"He ran, scooped up the postbox and ran back to the van.
“It's gutting, because we were just trying to do something nice."
The postbox, 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 the box installed outside to give grieving families the chance to send letters even when the office was closed.
Kim added: "It's normally in our office but with Mother's Day coming up we decided to put it outside.
“Where it was located, we thought it was perfectly fine. To watch them take it was mortifying.
“We purchased it out of our own money and it was meant to be a continued support for families.
“If he had come to me asking for some money to buy his own postbox I would’ve thought about giving him some.
“I don’t want revenge, I just want the box back for our families. I'd rather him steal our phones.
“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."
Kim says her postbox was not linked to similar ones being installed at crematoriums following the idea of nine-year-old Matilda Handy.
Matilda hit the headlines with her heartwarming suggestion they would be a way to send her late gran and granddad cards and letters in heaven.
Kim added: "We had the idea and then saw that a crematorium had done the same thing but it was quite far away.
"I said it’s going to look like we copied them. As far as I'm aware, we’re the only funeral directors with a postbox to heaven.
"We have had a family saying they will buy a new one for us. We contacted police who suggested social media might help with the appeal.
“I'm praying, probably naively, that this one will turn up purely because it has some letters in it.
“There's still some nice people out there though. We will replace it either way."
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