Store thief clears his conscience - seven decades later

An elderly man in the US has returned stolen cash to a department store, despite having pocketed the funds in the 1940s.

The unnamed gentleman hand-delivered an envelope to the manager of the Sears store in Seattle, which included both a note explaining his actions and a $100 bill.

While he originally only stole between $20 and $30, the matter had been playing on his conscience and he wanted to pay the store back with interest.

The note read: "During the late '40s I stole some money from the cash register in the amount of $20-$30. I want to pay you back this money in the amount of $100 to put in your theft account."

Sears plans to put the cash towards helping needy families throughout the Christmas period.