Postman stole from mail 'after seeing documentary'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/courts/P ... ticle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A postman resorted to stealing just 12 weeks into his job with Royal Mail after getting the idea from a documentary.

Jordan Loveridge delayed 92 letters and packages and stole from four items of post earlier this year, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Richard Cole said after noticing post on the 22-year-old's round had not been delivered, Royal Mail brought in an investigator to monitor his work out of the South East Bristol delivery office, on Mead Street, which covers Totterdown, Brislington, Knowle and Stockwood.

On February 2, five test packages were prepared for Loveridge to sort and deliver. He dispatched two to the right place, delivered two, but one – a pink greetings card containing a gift voucher – was not delivered.

Later that day Loveridge, of Lampton Grove, Hartcliffe, was cautioned and his car was searched. In his personal vehicle from which he worked, 92 undelivered postal packets were found, plus four that had been opened and the contents stolen, including another gift voucher.

When Loveridge was interviewed he said he had been looking for money because he was on an emergency tax code at the time.

Loveridge admitted one count of interfering with mail and one count of mail theft.

Mitigating, Sam Jones said he now fully accepted his responsibility as a postman.

The court heard he was "ashamed and disgusted" by what he had done.

Loveridge achieved ten GCSEs, all grade A*-B, and three AS levels. Between 2006-9 he did an internship with Airbus but suffered from ME and lost the job.

On the night before the thefts were committed, the court heard Loveridge had watched a documentary about postal workers stealing while on duty and "the seed had been planted". Mr Jones said his client had no intention of stealing from the 90-plus packets found in his car, but had fallen behind on his round.

Recorder of Bristol, Judge Neil Ford QC, said: "The postal system depends entirely on the trust and the honesty of employees."

He passed a 32-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, a six-month curfew (8pm-6am), 200 hours of unpaid work and £750 costs.

Judge Ford warned: "If you commit another offence of dishonesty your feet won't touch the ground."

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and that stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking and who do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely. We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust.

"We constantly review our operation to ensure it's as robust as possible and customer's mail is secure."

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Mind you his MP (or one close to being his) has also felt the long arm of the law http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11621053" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bristol Labour MP cautioned for electoral fraud