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Thief returns wallet to pensioner six years on

A thief has returned a stolen wallet with the money still inside to a pensioner six years after taking it. He sent the money back to the man with a letter of apology saying he had now become a Christian.

Published: 14 November 2013 09:14 CET

Thief returns wallet to pensioner six years on

The thief put an extra €50 in the wallet to apologize.

In March 2007 pensioner Peter Jürgensen had his wallet stolen from a supermarket in Walsrode, Lower Saxony in west Germany.

The 73-year-old lost €350, his credit card, identity card and photos of his grandchild.

He only noticed the loss a few hours later and headed back to the supermarket, the Bild newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The former tennis coach applied for new documents and forgot about the theft until now.

But six years later he received an envelope with his stolen wallet inside and a letter apologizing.

“Greed drove me to taking the wallet,” the thief wrote. “I have become a confessed Christian. The holy spirit has called upon me to repair the damage.”

The anonymous man also put an extra €50 in the wallet to apologize.

Jürgensen said: “Everything was in the wallet as I left it. I thank the man for his belated honesty.”

The letter began. “I found your wallet in Edeka Walsrode and wanted to hand it in.”

It was signed with the initials M.L.

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Driver in Bavaria gets €5,000 fine for giving the finger to speed camera

The district court of Passau sentenced the 53-year-old motorist to the fine after he was caught making the rude gesture in the direction of the speedometer last August on the A3 near the Donautal Ost service area, reported German media.

The man was not caught speeding, however. According to traffic police who were in the speed camera vehicle at the time, another driver who had overtaken the 53-year-old was over the speed limit.

When analysing the photo, the officers discovered the slower driver’s middle finger gesture and filed a criminal complaint.

The driver initially filed an objection against a penalty order, and the case dragged on for several months. However, he then accepted the complaint. He was sentenced to 50 ‘unit fines’ of €100 on two counts of insulting behaviour, amounting to €5,000.

READ ALSO: The German rules of the road that are hard to get your head around

In a letter to police, the man said he regretted the incident and apologised.

Police said it was “not a petty offence”, and that the sentence could have been “even more drastic”.

People who give insults while driving can face a prison sentences of up to a year.

“Depending on the nature and manner of the incident or in the case of persons with a previous conviction, even a custodial sentence without parole may be considered for an insult,” police in Passau said.

What does the law say?

Showing the middle finger to another road user in road traffic is an offence in Germany under Section 185 of the Criminal Code (StGB). It’s punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine.

People can file a complaint if someone shows them the middle finger in road traffic, but it usually only has a chance of success if witnesses can prove that it happened.

As well as the middle finger, it can also be an offence to verbally insult someone.

READ ALSO: The German road signs that confuse foreigners

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