Thieving Watford postman is spared jail

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A Watford postman has avoided jail after being caught stealing cheques from postboxes.

Samuel Awoyemi, 43, became the subject of a Royal Mail sting operation after a string of complaints were made, between November 2009 and late 2011, of cheques going missing from boxes he was responsible for emptying in the Watford Road area of Croxley Green.

In February 2012 eight test cheques were placed into letter boxes along his usual collection route by suspicious Royal Mail bosses. When his collection was examined, five of them were found to be missing although none were ever recovered.


Prosecutor Natalie McNamee said the defendant was also seen by witnesses opening cheques.

Awoyemi, who was convicted of one count of theft from a Royal Mail post bag after a trial at St Albans Crown Court on March 19, maintains he doesn’t know what happened to the cheques.

Returning to the court on Friday (April 12) Awoyemi, of St Albans Road, was ordered to undergo 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £360 towards prosecution costs.

Ms McNamee said: "The defendant was cautioned and his home was searched but no items were recovered.

"Aside from this matter the man is of good character, this is a breach of employer/employee trust.

"The crown’s case is that the real aggravating feature is the breach of the trust placed upon him as a postman."

Dipa Patel, for Awoyemi, said her client, a father of two, had lost his job after 12 years at Royal Mail and was struggling to provide for his family on a lower paid delivery job for a private firm.

She said: "Mr Awoyemi continues to maintain his innocence which is not surprising considering his plea of not guilty but he accepts he must be sentenced today.

"He is a man of 43 of previous good character having never been arrested. He is a family man with two young children and a wife all living in a one bedroom flat.

"He now works as a courier for an independent company, his wife is a full-time student so the family survive on his low salary."

No value was attached to stolen cheques as they were fake so no compensation order was made.

Chairman of the bench Kevin Shults said: "You are in breach of trust of your employer by stealing these cheques.

"These offences are serious enough for us to make a community order that will last for 12 months, during that time you must do 200 hours unpaid work in the community."