A FORGIVING woman who sent £20 to a burglar who broke into her house — after he wrote to her to apologise — has been described as "exceptional" by a leading Bolton solicitor.

Nick Ross, fromRussell and Russell Solicitors, said the compassion showed by Loretta Smith was astonishing.

Kevin Derbyshire and Graham Llewellyn, both aged 24, were jailed for 32 months after pleading guilty to stealing £10,000 worth of possessions from Mrs Smith's home in August 2013.

While Derbyshire was detained, he wrote a letter of apology to 75-year-old Mrs Smith explaining that he had been taking Valium and that his girlfriend had just had a baby.

To his surprise, he received a reply from her thanking him for his letter, along with a postal order for £20 to help him buy toiletries while he was in prison.

Mrs Smith's letter came to light when Mr Ross, representing Derbyshire, presented it to the judge at a sentencing hearing.

Mr Ross said: “This is an exceptional case and an even more exceptional lady.

“My client was extremely remorseful and wanted to apologise for his actions. He appreciated the distress he had caused Loretta, which is why he was compelled to write to her personally and not just make a statement in open court.

"The fact that she showed so much compassion is truly astonishing.

“It’s also a sign of the times that social media is being used as a means to highlight crimes and identify perpetrators.

"In an era of restorative justice, which is sometimes taken by police, interaction between criminals and victims can lend itself to providing an element of closure for victims.”