Postman cheated colleagues and Royal Mail out of nearly £6k

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Postman cheated colleagues and Royal Mail out of nearly £6,000

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A trusted postman cheated the Royal Mail and his colleagues in the sorting office out of almost £6,000.

Stephen Roberts, 53, a man who had never previously broken the law, admitted at Cardiff Crown Court that while “at rock bottom” he had helped himself to funds from the sports and social club where he was treasurer.

He had also taken home three special delivery packages containing cash.

His colleagues in the club lost £2,839 and his bosses were missing the rest, said prosecutor Richard Cole.


“The manager was contacted when £2,500 cash heading for the Pyle post office via the Bridgend sorting office, failed to arrive,” he said.

“Stephen Roberts had to deal with 15 special packets that day and only 14 found their way to the postman making the deliveries.

“Staff went looking for the one which was missing and didn’t find it but they did find letters which suggested the defendant and his wife were in financial difficulties.”

When confronted, Roberts broke down, said he had taken the £2,500, had used £100 of it and the rest was at home.

It was recovered from his bedroom at Jenkin Street, Bridgend.

He also confessed to previously helping himself to two other special deliveries containing around £400 and said he had also failed to bank the takings from the sports and social club’s vending machine.

“He said he was at rock bottom,” Mr Cole told the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees.

“He had been managing to keep on top on top of things but had reached the stage where he had eventually hoped he would get caught.”

The judge told Roberts, a postman for 23 years, that because of his guilty pleas and his honest past she would suspend his 26-week prison sentence and impose 250 hours of unpaid community work and order him to pay back the outstanding money and £500 towards the cost of his prosecution.

“The major part of your punishment will be the loss of your good reputation amongst colleagues and friends,” she told him.

The court was told he had managed to get a new job and his parents were so concerned that they were willing to take out a loan for him to repay what he took.