Harlow postman binned mail because he didn't like job

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Harlow postman binned mail because he didn't like job and wanted to finish work early

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A POSTMAN who threw away hundreds of letters at a recycling depot in Harlow because he did not like his job and wanted to finish work early has avoided a jail sentence.

Chelmsford Magistrates Court was told James Misselbrook, 22, of Albert Gardens, Harlow, also threw away mail in his own dustbin at home and kept others in his garden shed and car ready for disposal.

Misselbrook, 22, pleaded guilty to intentionally delaying 1,983 postal packets between September 11 and November 24 last year and to an offence of stealing 1,500 packets between the November 1 and 24.

He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

The court was told Misselbrook had only been a postman in Brentwood for five months when the offences came to light.

Shelley Webster, prosecuting, said that on November 22 Royal Mail customer services were contacted by an employee at the household waste recycling depot in Templefields after workers there found a bag containing mail packets.

Misselbrook was interviewed by Royal Mail investigators and his property searched. Two pouches of bundles of mail were found in his car, four in his garden shed and five in a dustbin. He said he had planned to dump them.

Only two letters had been opened and there was no suggestion the defendant had stolen any of the contents.

He said he did not particularly enjoy the job he did but he needed the money. He added he wanted to get off work at 1.30pm.

In court, Misselbrook said he regretted what he had done. “I was not in a good place; I had just left the military where I knew what missing home was like and prior to joining Royal Mail I had a baby boy,” he told the magistrates.

“I was finding myself working from early hours in the morning until late afternoon or early evening due to the fact I was doing different walks every day which I didn’t particularly know. I was just finding it hard to be away for such a long day.”

He added that travelling from home to Brentwood was costly and he wasn’t earning much.

The court heard that in June 2012 Misselbrook left the RAF because of a knee injury which coincided with his partner’s pregnancy. He was earning £325 a fortnight with Royal Mail and was struggling financially.