Magistrate resigns after admitting postal fraud

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A magistrate has resigned from the bench after being convicted of postal fraud.

Married father-of-two Leslie Szabo, a keen stamp collector, conned the Royal Mail out of £639 by reusing stamps to post items he sold on eBay.

Szabo (55), of The Drive, Countesthorpe, also stands to lose his role as governor at a Leicester school.

He was handed a 12-month community order after admitting fraud in a hearing at Burton-on-Trent Magistrates' Court.

The court heard that when questioned, Szabo said: "I've shamefully taken money from the Royal Mail.

"For me, as a stamp collector, that's even worse.

"I've damaged your business, which has provided me with thousands of hours of pleasure. I'm ashamed of what I've done."

John Dove, prosecuting, said Szabo committed the offences between October last year and May this year by using stamps which had passed through the postal system but not been franked, alongside valid ones.

His crime was uncovered on Friday, May 13, after suspicions were raised by a delivery driver collecting from South Wigston post office.

Further investigations revealed Szabo had posted 65 packages that week, the majority bearing pre-used stamps.

The defendant estimated that fraudulent stamps accounted for between five and 10 per cent of the stamps used during the period in question.

He has since repaid the Royal Mail £639, the amount investigators estimated he had defrauded.

Duncan Toole, defending, said the case had been "a tragedy" for Szabo, the former president of a Lions Club and the father of two teenage girls.

Mr Toole said: "This is a very sad case. My client has been a pillar of society for most of his lifetime.

"He stands in court very humbled and very ashamed of what he's done.

"He has resigned as a sitting magistrate – something which has brought him intense pleasure for the past two years – and won't be able to continue his role as school governor.

"He's brought shame and embarrassment on his family."

Mr Toole said Szabo was guilty of "utter naivety" and, while he had committed a "gross error of judgement", had not initially realised what he was doing was wrong.

Szabo was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 120 hours due to his early guilty plea.

He was also ordered to pay the Royal Mail £1,906 to cover the cost of its investigation and £500 to cover legal costs.

[viking]

Envelopes with Stamps on them....well there is a rare find!!!

[chelseachris]

He should have been sentenced to do 200 hours working for Royal Mail that might stop him re-offending again

[stokes11eg]

While not condoning this crime--this sentance seems a little excessive---

[Lounge Lizard]

"His crime was uncovered on Friday, May 13, after suspicions were raised by a delivery driver collecting from South Wigston post office." - just goes to show that we all have a role to play in protecting Royal mail's revenue. Just a shame we can't do anything about the DSA robbery.
Friday 13th certainly was an unlucky day for him.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

While not condoning this crime--this sentance seems a little excessive---

Maybe - but as they were a magistrate and therefore responsible for passing judgement on the guilty, their crime was seen as greater than normal, hence a harsher and well deserved punishment.

[teesdale]

As there isnt enough staff Bristol Mail Centre processes 1000's of items of mail everyday, sending them on to other mail centres and delivery offices , without ink cancelling stamps.

[Darren Bent]

200 hours - give them 5 weeks of toughest walk of office for punishment.

[Pompey Boy]

While not condoning this crime--this sentance seems a little excessive---

Bollocks Mate. Magistrates or any others connected with the law should be f***ing hammered if they break it

[stokes11eg]

While not condoning this crime--this sentance seems a little excessive---

Bollocks Mate. Magistrates or any others connected with the law should be f***ing hammered if they break it

Compared t o the massive multi million pound frauds of some bankers in previous years, ,still think this was excessive punishment--many a postie on here who have been found guilty of far more serious crimes have been treated more leniently--

[heapsy]

As there isnt enough staff Bristol Mail Centre processes 1000's of items of mail everyday, sending them on to other mail centres and delivery offices , without ink cancelling stamps.

Get loads coming through our DO, serviced by Manchester MC. Always try and put a line through em if I spot any. I'm pretty keen on throwing the sucharge items to the PO box/ town hall duty that deals with them too. Can't understand people that don't bother.

[blackbird]

Why are so many stamps passing through the system unfranked?

Poor service really

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Why are so many stamps passing through the system unfranked?

Poor service really

Its a natural consequence of the constant push for 100% effort, 100% of the time at 100% efficiency. Its not possible, its ultimately demotivating, inefficient and in the end costs more. Also if you operate at 100% all the time there is no spare capacity to cope with the unforeseen, unplanned or just the ordinary day to day failings. Ergo stamps are not cancelled because no one has been tasked to do it and no-one has spare capacity to do it without direction.

[Tman]

Ergo stamps are not cancelled because no one has been tasked to do it and no-one has spare capacity to do it without direction.

Operators are "tasked" with making sure the inkers and cancellers are operating correctly, so this 100% effort would see every stamp franked.
DO posties shouldn't be "tasked" with cancelling stamps as there's machines to do it, but there's enough posters asking staff to draw through unfranked stamps. Do staff really need that level of "direction" now?

[DGP1]

Ergo stamps are not cancelled because no one has been tasked to do it and no-one has spare capacity to do it without direction.

Operators are "tasked" with making sure the inkers and cancellers are operating correctly, so this 100% effort would see every stamp franked.
DO posties shouldn't be "tasked" with cancelling stamps as there's machines to do it, but there's enough posters asking staff to draw through unfranked stamps. Do staff really need that level of "direction" now?

OK, I don't have enough time allotted to my duty to do work that should already be done by some machine in a MC. Personally the more work they give me indoors the less I get to do outdoors (but that'll never happen because they need the outdoor work completed at any cost).