A war veteran’s cherished engagement ring which was stolen during a recent burglary has been returned to him, along with a simple two-word note of apology.
Darren Horsnell, 62, had made an emotional plea on social media after discovering that the ring he had given his late fiancée, Tracey, had been taken.
The heartfelt appeal quickly gained traction, resonating with people across Lancashire and beyond.
The ring was stolen from Mr. Horsnell’s home in Haslingden on September 23, while he was on a fundraising fishing trip for Veterans In Communities, the charity where he works.
The burglars also took a charm bracelet, cash, a tablet, and a valuable chess set, but it was the ring—a deeply personal item—that caused him the most pain.
“I was gutted when it was stolen as it was nearly four years to the day when my fiancée Tracey died,” Mr. Horsnell told BBC Lancashire.
“I was literally physically sick when I noticed it had gone. I couldn’t believe it.”
The ring had been kept alongside Tracey’s ashes in his living room, and he described it as “the most precious thing I own.”
In his online appeal, Mr. Horsnell asked the thieves to return only the ring, offering amnesty for everything else they had taken.
“Keep all the other items, bring back the ring and that will be the end of it as far as I am concerned,” he posted.
“Post it in the letterbox, leave it by the front door, do whatever you want but give it back to me.”
The appeal was shared thousands of times by friends, family, and strangers moved by his story.
Days later, Mr. Horsnell received a surprise: the ring was delivered in a white envelope through the letterbox of Veterans In Communities.
Alongside it was a short note that simply read, “Darren Sorry.”
Reflecting on the return of the ring, Mr. Horsnell was relieved but also skeptical about the intentions of the person who returned it.
The handwriting on the note was “like a child had written it” or appeared as though someone had used their non-writing hand.
“Not for a minute do I believe it was the thief that returned it,” he said.
“If they were sick enough to steal it from where it was, I don’t think they had a conscience.”
Despite the unanswered questions, Mr. Horsnell is grateful to have his fiancée’s ring back, a deeply meaningful piece of jewelry he thought might be lost forever.
“Words can’t explain how relieved I was to get it back,” he said, expressing gratitude for the overwhelming community support that helped lead to its return.
