Weymouth postman admits stealing packages at work

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/localn ... s_at_work/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A WEYMOUTH postman has admitted stealing and opening packages while at work.

Gary Cole, 46, of Norfolk Road in Weymouth, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court where he was sentenced for three charges of theft of a mail or postal packet and one charge of opening a postal packet or mail bag.

Judge Roger Jarvis sentenced Cole to 120 hours of unpaid work in the community and he was ordered to pay Royal Mail the definite loss of £24.99 within 28 days.

At a previous hearing, the court heard how Cole had opened post and disposed of the packaging at his work station.

After that hearing, a Royal Mail spokesman confirmed this was at the Royal Mail delivery office in Weymouth.

Prosecutor Susan Cavender said at the hearing that at least 14 items, including DVDs and a PlayStation game, were stolen.

Ms Cavender said: “Cole was responsible for a package on September 27 last year that was marked ‘not known at this address’.

“It essentially disappeared although the packaging was found in the waste bin next to Mr Cole’s work station.

“As a result, on October 1 two specially prepared packets were put into items that needed to be sorted and delivered by Mr Cole.

“He was watched by those supervising as Mr Cole went about his duties and he correctly handled one of the two.

“He left his work station and seemed to return with the contents of the other packet which he put onto the space above his work station and the packaging in a waste bin nearby.

“He removed three postal packages, opened two of them and removed the contents.”

The court heard that more than 100 DVDs were found at his home address including a PlayStation game with an invoice dated March 6 2009.

Ms Cavender added: “Certainly 14 of the items found at his home address had been stolen.

“When asked he said he could not remember how much was taken.”

In mitigation Tim Shorter said: “He is a wreck – he is hardly able to articulate.

“This man has had what used to be called a nervous breakdown. Clearly he has done wrong and he knows it, clearly he has abused a position of trust.”

Judge Jarvis told the defendant: “Postal workers are held in the highest of esteem in this country.

“They perform a very valuable and important role.

“They are at the heart of this country’s communication system and they are trusted by everyone.”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal mail theft: Postman was employed at Weymouth Delivery Office

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/901970 ... ry_Office/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed that the postman was employed at Weymouth Delivery Office.

The spokesman 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.

“Royal Mail customers should be confident in our services and systems, but where we are alerted to problems, either through our own stringent checks or from information supplied by our customers, we take decisive action to investigate.”

[Coggz]

Scumbag!!I have IVA,£31 in bank till payday but i WILL never stoop so low.Okay call me a mug but at least i'm an honest Mug:)Only a few months i had an unsealed card with £20 note in,but i showed it up to a supervisor and had it sealed.I guess we have to get used to more of this,we seem to be hearing more and more of these cases:(

[Indy]

Scumbag!!I have IVA,£31 in bank till payday but i WILL never stoop so low.Okay call me a mug but at least i'm an honest Mug:)Only a few months i had an unsealed card with £20 note in,but i showed it up to a supervisor and had it sealed.I guess we have to get used to more of this,we seem to be hearing more and more of these cases:(

I can't ever condone the theft of mail but the guy was a wreck having had a nervous breakdown.... I feel that RM had a duty of care to its employee and that it should have done more to help maybe then no mail would have been stolen?

I wonder if RM do a ctrl C ctrl V with the "Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to.... " yadda yadda yadda

[stokes11eg]

Scumbag!!I have IVA,£31 in bank till payday but i WILL never stoop so low.Okay call me a mug but at least i'm an honest Mug:)Only a few months i had an unsealed card with £20 note in,but i showed it up to a supervisor and had it sealed.I guess we have to get used to more of this,we seem to be hearing more and more of these cases:(

I can't ever condone the theft of mail but the guy was a wreck having had a nervous breakdown.... I feel that RM had a duty of care to its employee and that it should have done more to help maybe then no mail would have been stolen?

I wonder if RM do a ctrl C ctrl V with the "Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to.... " yadda yadda yadda

Sorry Indy, I can understand and sympathise with genuine ,breakdowns etc---and agree wholeheartedly that R/M should do more for to support staff, but this man was a thief, plain and simple--

[fishtank]

In some cases the mental illness is genuine and in some cases people are directed down that route by their lawyers.That's what Mitigation is all about.
There is no suggestion in the article that the man had a medically diagnosed condition just that in his lawyers opinion he was a wreck,barely able to articulate and had experienced "what used to be called a nervous breakdown".
A Lawyer defending a client is not a neutral source of medical information.

[Pompey Boy]

Judge Jarvis told the defendant: “Postal workers are held in the highest of esteem in this country.

“They perform a very valuable and important role.

“They are at the heart of this country’s communication system and they are trusted by everyone.”

What a f****** joke! Not trusted by managemant and craped on/abused every day by the great british public