Plymouth postmaster defrauded his branch out of £60,000

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A POSTMASTER has been jailed for swindling more than £60,000 from his branch to prop up his own failing business.

Paul Pringle, aged 52, defrauded the Post Office over nine months and falsified his accounts to hide his offending, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

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Plymouth postmaster Paul Pringle defrauded his branch out of more than £60,000

The sub-postmaster, who ran the counter in his corner shop in Efford, used the cash to try and stop a newly-acquired bakery going to the wall.

Judge John Neligan jailed him for 10 months.


He said: "This was persistent theft over nine months of a considerable amount of money and I cannot suspend any sentence."

Former sailor Pringle, of St Levan Road, had earlier admitted fraud by abuse of position at the Torridge Way branch between February and November last year.

Julia Cox, prosecuting for the Post Office, said he had defrauded his employers out of £66,354.

She added he had signed a contract for the franchise which expressly forbade him from using branch income for personal use.

Miss Cox said auditors arrived at the branch in November last year and he immediately shut the business and sent an employee home.

He then confessed that he had been using branch money to support a struggling bakery.

Miss Cox said that the auditors found he had falsified the monthly computerised accounts to hide his crime.

She added he had also done much of the cash transactions himself so his employees did not get involved.

Miss Cox applied to start confiscation action through the court to seize any assets as the proceeds of crime.

Judge Neligan set in place a timetable, but said it was unlikely to retrieve any assets, because Pringle was already paying back creditors of the failed bakery under an Individual Voluntary Agreement.

The court heard he had no previous convictions, save from being drunk at Home Park during a Plymouth Argyle game.

Nigel Hall, for Pringle, said he was a proud man who had served his country for 23 years in the Royal Navy.

He added he had run his shop for several years with no problems until he bought a bakery from his brother-in-law, who was leaving the country.

Mr Hall said he plunged his own savings into the business but found creditors and bailiffs knocking at his door.

He added Pringle took money from the branch to keep the bakery, which had 10 employees, going.

Mr Hall added: "He wanted to pay the money back but things spiralled out of control."

He said Pringle put in long hours and it was not clear with his corner shop and newsagent could survive, especially without the Post Office franchise.

Mr Hall said he was the main carer for his wife, who had suffered a stroke.

A Post Office spokesperson said after the case: "Post Office Ltd takes a zero tolerance policy to the rare incidents of dishonesty. However, when incidents do occur we always seek to take action against those responsible.

"Post Office Limited believes that all sub postmasters hold a unique position of trust.

The overwhelming majority of people who work in our branch network are professional, honest and provide the highest standards of service possible and so it is always disappointing when that trust is breached."