WEST YORKSHIRE Police have released a letter which was supposed to have been a written apology from a teenage burglar to his victims but which instead turned out to be a rant which blamed them for his crimes.

In the letter which opens “Dear Victim”, the teenager says they have no sympathy with those whose homes they broke into, writing: “To be honest I’m not bothered or sorry about the fact that I burgled your house.”

They then proceed to blame the victim for leaving their home so easy to survey and break into while living in a “high risk burglary area”.

Police said that they did not pass the correspondence on to its intended recipient “due to the cold-hearted nature of the letter”, but believe it should act as a warning to residents to take more care in securing their properties.

On average, over a quarter of all burglaries in Leeds between October 2010 and 2011 were the result of an insecure property, police said.

“The most straightforward of these [simple security measures] is to remember to lock your door when you’re in the house and keep downstairs windows closed, particularly if you’re out of the house or in another room,” Chief Inspector Melanie Jones said.

She also reminded people to close their curtains once it gets dark, turn on their alarm during the night as well as when they leave their home, and not to leave valuables near windows and doors.

Jones also pointed out that “a number of insurance companies will no longer settle claims when a property has been left insecure”.

The burglar who penned the letter was 16 at the time of its writing and police said that he was sentenced to a non-custodial 12-month intensive supervision and surveillance plan.