After 25 years, a stolen artifact has returned. But the repentant thief was careless and betrayed himself. That was his mistake.
Bessan – The village of Bessan in southwest France has been missing a gold-plated weathercock since 1999. At the end of November, 25 years later, it returned in a mysterious package. Now the public prosecutor was able to track down the thief. A weathercock made it into the German news because it got caught in the trees while putting up the maypole in Türkenfeld.
April Fool's Day lasted 25 years – thief shows remorse
According to the now caught thief, the rooster was kidnapped in a boozy nighttime activity. The man hid his loot for years. It wasn't until this year that he discovered the bird again in his basement. Feeling guilty, he decided to give it back after all these years.
He sent the package by post under the sender “Monsieur Gallinacé”, in German: Mr Huhn. This went to local historian Michel Sabatéry. He was amazed when he held the artifact in his hands. The package came with a letter written from the animal's perspective: “After a long journey, I am back in the country where I was born. Dear Bessanians, I missed you. May my song sound again.”
After receiving the package, the historian informed the community about the return of the long-lost animal. They then contacted the public prosecutor, who was able to locate the perpetrator.
This fatal mistake gave away the thief's identity
The prosecutor's office found that the package was delivered in the same department where the village is located. So the perpetrator couldn't be far away. The man finally gave himself away by paying the postage on the package with a credit card. This was how his identity could be determined.
However, the thief does not have to fear any consequences. The crime had long since expired. Nevertheless, the village is happy to have its rooster back. “It may be a matter of youthful stupidity and the story has a happy ending,” said the mayor of the village loudly AFP. The rooster is now better secured than it was back then so that it doesn't “fly away” again. Landmarks have also been stolen elsewhere. In Schliersee, the plaques on the Karl Haider monument were stolen. In Bamberg, the scepter from a statue of St. Kunigunde was stolen.
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