Post Office drops robbery claim

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/7131113.stm

A Suffolk postmaster will not now have to cover £11,000 which was stolen in an armed raid at his branch, the Post Office has said.

Tony Francis, 59, received a letter asking him to reimburse the Post Office after his wife, Sheila, was forced to hand over cash in the Lowestoft raid.

The Post Office, which said Mr Francis had not taken steps to prevent a raid, said it had dropped the claim.

Mr Francis, who runs the Kimberley Road branch, said he "was over the moon".

The branch was raided by two masked robbers - one wielding a knife and the other a gun - on 7 September and Mr Francis's 67-year-old wife was threatened.

'Common sense prevailed'

Mr Francis had said he felt like he was being "robbed twice" when the Post Office wrote to him asking him to pay them the stolen money, stating "insufficient precautions" were taken after two deposits had been received by the branch prior to the robbery.

A Post Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that the issue is now resolved and Post Office Ltd will not be taking any further action in what was clearly a very distressing case.

"We always speak with our people in such cases before making any final decisions."

Mr Francis said: "I'm absolutely over the moon. It's a big relief.

"I don't know why they changed their mind. Common sense has prevailed. I feel like I can carry on now."

[andy2007]

I can't believe that they were callous enough to send him the bill for the robbery. When you are confronted with armed robbers, you shouldn't be expected to put your life on the line to protect money! That's what Insurance is for.

Human life is far more important than money. It's about time that RM realised it!