Postie stole money from card

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/conten ... 3A54%3A150

A POSTMAN who ripped open a birthday card to take £35 has escaped a jail term.

Kevin Tomlin, 47, helped himself to the money when the card was returned undelivered to Royal Mail's sorting office in Harold Hill.

He claimed he was operating a 'new system' and intended to give the money to charity, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Tomlin was a union rep and had a 28-year unblemished record with the service until August 15 last year.

The postie and his colleague, Christopher Dobson, 45, of Squirrels Heath Road, Harold Wood, were accused of a series of theft charges, including helping themselves to mail order DVDs and other parcels between August 2005 and August 2007.

But prosecutors dropped charges against Mr Dobson before Tomlin was convicted by a jury of stealing from the birthday card following a six-day trial.

Tomlin claimed the Harold Hill office had initiated a 'new system' for undeliverable post whereby staff opened the mail and donated the contents to charity.

But the court heard the birthday card, which had no return address, should have been sent to the Royal Mail national returns office in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Tomlin has since been sacked.

Judge Nicholas Huskinson told Tomlin: "This was a high degree of breach of trust.

"You had worked for Royal Mail for 28 years and you were a union representative for staff at Harold Hill."

Tomlin was spared jail by Judge Huskinson after prosecutors offered no evidence on three charges of theft and a single count of intentionally delaying mail, forcing the court to record not guilty verdicts.

He was given a 150 hours community sentence order and ordered to pay costs of £2,500.

The postie told jurors he also worked for charity.

His tearful wife Janet supported her husband from the public gallery during his trial.

Tomlin, of Lucas Avenue, Chelmsford, denied theft.

Christopher Dobson was found not guilty of two counts of theft.

[Yahoorsur]

'Tomlin claimed the Harold Hill office had initiated a 'new system' for undeliverable post whereby staff opened the mail and donated the contents to charity.'

if there was a new system then there would have been a record of the decision,surely?,can anyone fae Harold Hill back up what the man was saying?

Yes........then he should appeal.
NO.........then he is just another thieving bastard,who drags every posties reputation through the mud,good riddence

[Night Tonic]

How about NO. CWU rep too.