Polite thief broke into car to firstly steal an ‘itchy’ blanket and again to return it with charming note

A homeless thief in Australia who broke into a car to “borrow” a blanket anonymously returned the stolen item to the owner with a cheeky and heart-warming thank you note. Great-grandfather Bert Palin, 82, said he parked his car in Redfern, New South Wales, while visiting family but didn’t realise it had been broken into until he arrived home the next day and found a note from the culprit in the boot.

“I was getting (my wife’s) walker out of the boot when I saw the blanket that we normally toss in after using for picnics, folded neatly with a note,” Mr Palin said. The note read: “Hi, I borrowed your blanket for a little while because I was cold and didn’t have anywhere to go. I hope you accept my apology for taking your stuff without asking. Kind regards, Blankt (sic) theif :) P.S. The blank is really itchy.”



Mr Palin said he was surprised to see the note and learn someone had broken into his car twice - once to take the blanket and a second time to return it. “It was obviously a male or female of some education to have written it the way they did and to break into my car then say ‘thank you’ and ‘PS your blanket was itchy’ … it was breathtaking,” he said.

“I washed the blanket after that because I was concerned about it being itchy.” Mr Palin said there was no sign of any damage to the car as a result of the break in. “The boot just had a plastic clasp that must have been easy to open,” Mr Palin said. “I’ve been passing the note around and people are amazed ... (my grandson) couldn’t stop laughing.” Mr Palin said he accepted the thief’s apology but that if he could say anything to him or her it would be: “keep out of my car”.