A pair of stolen handcuffs were returned to Los Angeles police after 60 years.

Handcuffs

Handcuffs

The LAPD tweeted pictures showing the handcuffs and a letter of apology from the person who stole them over six decades ago.

The letter had been written by a 74-year-old grandfather who explained how he took the handcuffs when an officer had dropped them outside a restaurant. The man explained that he decided to return them to set a good example to his grandchildren.

He wrote: "I have felt a little guilty each time I saw the handcuffs over the years, but did nothing about it.

"They were aghast and asked me why I stole the handcuffs from a policeman. I, of course, had no good explanation and I told them it was the wrong thing to do and I wasn't proud of it and then I danced around the subject."