Regular readers will already know of my passion for those stories which only appear in local newspapers.

At Christmas, there is one cast-iron certainty -- the story of the Heartless Thief.

Every year at around this time, you can be sure that the Heartless Thief will be in action in local newspaper patches up and down the country, nicking childrens' presents from under the tree, robbing old ladies of the money they were going to give to their grandchildren and pilfering from charity collection boxes. And you can be equally sure that the hacks won't be far behind, ready to tell their readers all about the nefarious activities of the cardiac-free ne'er do-wells.

For some reason, Heartless Thieves only seem to come out at Christmas. Presumably, the rest of the year they're too busy carrying out Brutal Murders or Particularly Vicious Attacks.

So are the Heartless Thieves out and about this Festive Season? You better believe it.

Coventry ET: Callous crooks grab gifts from under tree
East Kilbride News: Heartless conmen rob elderly women
Leigh Reporter: Grave Raid Angers Mum
Strabane Weekly News: Time to celebrate: Munchie's home for Christmas
Belfast Telegraph: Heartless Thieves Take Family Jewellery
Daily Post: Crash victim's memorial stolen

I could go on.....

All further examples gratefully received.