Oldbury post office worker Julie Neenan stole pensioner's gas bill payment

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 21 Apr 2016, 14:11

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A DISTRESSED Oldbury pensioner was forced to pay his gas bill for a second time - before discovering his cash had been pocketed by an assistant at his post office.

Retired Barry Hunt was threatened with legal action over the bill which he had paid only to receive a string of demands for the money.

In the end he decided to cough up the money again which meant he had to pay a total of £177 for the gas he had used, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Judge Amjad Nawaz told Julie Neenan, who had worked at Oldbury’s Pottery Road post office: "You were in a position of trust and responsibility and you greatly inconvenienced this man because of your offending, "It must have caused him a great deal of distress and anxiety."

Edward Soulsby, prosecuting, said Neenan, who had financial problems, also stole a bag containing £618 which had been paid into the post office.

An official from the Warley Woods Community Trust handed a total of four bags to Neenan but she decided to keep one.

When the trust's bank account was later checked it was found the money was missing.

Neenan, of Marshall Road, Oldbury, admitted two charges of theft and was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.

She was further ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work in the community and to pay compensation totalling £796 to Mr Hunt and the trust.

In a victim impact statement Mr Hunt told police he had put his trust into the post office and when he repeatedly said the bill had been paid he was not believed by the gas company.

He said it had been distressing and very unsettling and he felt as though he was banging his head against a brick wall knowing full well the bill had been paid.

Ekwall Tiwana, for Neenan, a woman of previous good character, said she had money troubles, but was ashamed of her actions and was doing all she could to clear her outstanding debts.