'Frustrated' delivery driver stole parcels from Evri as he was out of pocket

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/loc ... ls-9921539

A "frustrated" delivery driver stole parcels from the firm who were paying him. Nottingham Crown Court heard how Stephen Wigmore took in items sent to him by Evri and then sub-contracted some of the drops to other drivers as he was unable to carry them all out on his own.

That led to him having to pay them more than he was getting from the national courier giants, so he decided to steal some of the parcels. When the 37-year-old was first charged last year, the total loss was believed to be in the region of £5,000, prosecutor Stuart Pattinson said.


But this week, February 5, the defendant was sentenced on the basis that what he took was nearer to £500. Fining Wigmore £1,500 and ordering him to pay another £500 towards the prosecution’s costs, Judge Michael Auty KC said: “It was an idiotic offence beyond any doubt.

“I understand your frustration on one level, but you can’t take the law into your own hands or take vengeance on your employer. If the value would have stayed at £5,000 you would be looking at custody, but now it is something like £500 over a six-day period.

“Let’s put this behind you.” Mr Pattinson said Wigmore, of Retford, was a "business partner” for Evri who would pay him for the parcels they sent him to deliver.

He said last year the defendant was then paying other drivers to carry out some of the drops which meant he was actually losing, and not making money.


So he took some of the items and was snared following an investigation over “abnormalities” discovered by an Evri loss manager. Wigmore, of Main Street, North Leverton, pleaded guilty to theft and has 10 previous convictions for 21 offences.

Andrew Wesley, mitigating, said: “There was something unequal about the relationship. He was paid a percentage but had to pay others and, unfortunately, rather than take it out on his own employees, he took it out on Evri.”

An Evri spokesperson said: “The vast majority of our 30,000+ people are hardworking, reliable and provide an important service for their local community but we take a zero tolerance approach to instances of theft and will work with the police to seek prosecutions. In this instance, our dedicated loss prevention team proactively identified an unusual pattern of behaviour and alerted the police, resulting in the sentence today.”

[TopperGas]

Do EVRI just employ anybody who applies for a job without doing any background checks?

"and has 10 previous convictions for 21 offences."

[baldrick]

Does Royal Mail do any background checks since it was privatised?
I thought RM does not have access to criminal records as it is now a private company, like Evri.