Gary Palmer had done nothing wrong and found himself at the centre of an investigation over suspected stolen parcels
A Hucknall Yodel delivery driver has recalled the anguish of spending hours in a police cell when he was wrongfully arrested after collecting a parcel while out on his rounds. Gary Palmer, 58, was left stunned when he was accused of theft and later arrested after he'd picked up a misdelivered parcel in Ravenshead on July 24.
Working for contractor Yodel, he'd been innocently going about his day job - and then a month later found his face plastered across a police media appeal issued on Friday, September 5, in relation to the theft of two parcels on July 24. Police had asked the public to help identify a man they would like to speak to in connection with the "upsetting" incident, in which they released a picture of Mr Palmer.
So Mr Palmer attended the closest police station that same day, to ask why his face had been posted on social media channels in relation to a theft. It was then he was arrested, held in a police cell for four hours and questioned over Ring Doorbell footage of him collecting a parcel from the Ravenshead address, all while his own house was being searched for the alleged stolen property.
Recalling the ordeal, Mr Palmer said: "I delivered the parcel. A couple of days later, I went and got the parcel, as it was the wrong house. I took the parcel as it was where I left it and went about my business.
"On Friday, September 5, my wife had a call from one of her friends to say that my face was on Crimestoppers. I went to the nearest police station.
"They arrested me, processed me and put me in a police cell. I was in there for about four hours, they took my DNA, my fingerprints, and I was going to make a phone call to tell my wife and my work. They said I couldn't, as they needed to search my house first.
The picture that was released by Nottinghamshire Police in their appeal for Mr Palmer to come forward. (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)
"When I got out, a police officer who was dealing with it said, 'I can't believe my colleagues have arrested you'. She showed me a video of me and asked me to explain. All it [the footage] was was me getting the parcel and walking away from the property. In the Ring Doorbell footage, it's plain to see my badge that says Yodel on it.
"I just don't understand why I would be on Crimestoppers. I've had no apology, nothing, just a 'goodbye and good luck'. I've lost half a day's work, been put in a police cell for just doing my job."
Since then, Mr Palmer has demanded an apology from the police, saying that more should have been done before publishing an appeal to the public, as he feels that his reputation has been severely damaged.
Mr Palmer continued: "I think people are looking at me now because of that post, staring. Even now, I keep getting people messaging me saying I'm still on social media. It just doesn't make sense. I have people asking me about it. Everybody has an opinion about what happened. Even though people know me, it still affects me and my reputation."
Nottinghamshire Police confirmed Mr Palmer had been arrested in connection with the incident and released with no further action taken. Officers said the Ring Doorbell footage released to them had not captured an angle of him with his Yodel uniform on display - and thus the investigation had been stepped up, with it thought the parcels might have been stolen due to the nature of the misdelivery.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: “Media appeals contribute to public safety as they help us gather intelligence from the public, which can be vital for solving a crime.
“In this instance, an image of a man was published as it was believed he may have information in relation to a theft of two parcels from outside an address.
“The image was provided by the victim and did not show any company logo or uniform relating to his employer. Officers pursued a number of lines of enquiry to identify the man before a media appeal was published.
“The man came forward and provided an innocent explanation for why he removed the parcels from a doorstep. He was subsequently eliminated from our enquiries. We thank him for coming forward and assisting us with the investigation.”
NottinghamshireLive contacted Yodel for comment.