Postman stashed 1,500 letters at home

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Postman who hid letters and parcels at his home and car in Edinburgh blamed Royal Mail bosses for giving him too much work.

29 January 2010 17:38 PM
Comment

Court: Postman failed to deliver 1,500 items of mail

A postman in Edinburgh stashed over 1,500 letters and parcels in his house and car because he was "stressed" and "mentally exhausted" by his workload.

Ross Henderson blamed Royal Mail bosses for changing his delivery routes on a daily basis.

But the spotlight landed on the 23-year-old when post went missing and customers complained they had not received items they were expecting.

He said he always intended to deliver the packages, but his backlog "spiralled out of control".

On Friday he admitted intentionally delaying 1,628 items of mail between June 12 and July 23, 2009 at the city's sheriff court.

Two charges of theft were dropped after police fully recovered the post from his house and car in Carrick Knowe Terrace.

Royal Mail forwarded every item on to the intended recipients with apology letters.

Deferring sentence for reports, Sheriff Kathrine Mackie said Henderson, who has since resigned from his job, would learn "an expensive" lesson.

Fiscal depute Aidan Higgins said Henderson, who had no previous convictions, complained to his line manager at Royal Mail about his workload but to no avail.

He said: "The accused began work as a postman in August 2008. The postal packets were delayed as a result of his conduct.

"They were items he should have delivered as his duty, but rather he left them in various locations, namely his own house and car.

"The fact they had been delayed came to light on 23 July last year."

The now jobless Henderson, who lives with his mother, fully admitted he had kept hold of the post when police interviewed him.

Mr Higgins added: "He said he hoped to try and reintroduce the items of mail back into the system, but it appears that simply he was under great strain at the time and great mental exhaustion and felt unable to manage his workload.

"He said he had spoken with his employers and line manager and communicated his difficulties and that things had got on top of him.

"All the recovered postal packets were forwarded along with a letter of apology from the Royal Mail.

"This matter having come to light, the accused resigned from his post."

Henderson's defence agent Leanne McQuillan insisted he was "well aware" of the hassle he had caused.

She said: "What is simply an envelope to him could have been something very precious to somebody else.

"It could have caused members of the public and businesses significant problems and he is well aware that courts view these matters very seriously.

"For the first six months he worked for Royal Mail everything was fine. But there were then changes in the way things operated and he was given different routes on a daily basis.

"He was struggling for a number of months to complete them in the times allotted but nothing was done to change this.

"His main intention was he would catch up somehow but it spiralled out of control.

"He can't explain it other than he was under pressure by working longer hours. He has certainly learned his lesson."

Sheriff Mackie said "Well it is going to be an expensive one and will have no doubt affected the attitude of any future employer."

Henderson must return to court next month.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Royal Mail has extremely robust procedures for supporting our people and for assisting them where necessary if they are struggling with their work.

"It is a criminal offence to tamper with or delay the delivery of mail and anyone caught doing so will face serious disciplinary measures and prosecution.

"The safety and security of mail is crucial to Royal Mail and we will not allow the actions of an individual damage the good reputation of our thousands of hard-working postmen and women."

[Thunderthighs]

Changed his round on a daily basis? DAILY BASIS???!!! How bout Hourly basis???...
Some days I go in, am told that "this is what you're doing, ok? " Yeah, that's ok, I'm relief, so it's sorta expected.
Tick-tock, tick-tock - about 10 mins later - "Hey, change of plans, weren't you told by XYZ? THIS is what you're doing NOW!"

One of the Regional Managers recently said, "The trouble with **************** office, is they aren't flexible enough.."
Flexible? Any more flexible and I'd be able to kiss my own arse...

[stokes11eg]

"WExtremely robust proceedures for supporting people struggling?! Eh? I would like them to spell out this policy in black and white--

[El-Bandito]

Obviously EX-Postie,Ross Henderson was not up to speed. 23 year old and he has the equivalent of 1 days mail hidden in his car/house. What a lazy c*nt. Hope he gets 6 months. UK posties have been tarred with gits like him for too long.

[opgpat]

That's a bit harsh. He was a new starter and had asked for help but was ignored. You know how intimidating managers can be. Experienced posties know their rights and can usually stand up for themselves but a lot of new guys don't even know they can cut off and are put under immense pressure.

He was obviously going over every day and probablly not getting paid for it and had two options, complete for nothing or hide it. No doubt taking it back, talking to his manager were not options in his mind due to his managers arrogance and intimidation. He should be pardoned and his line manager should be in the dock. NO PREVIOUS RECORD. The job made him a criminal by giving him no options other than work over everyday for nothing.

[fishtank]

That's a bit harsh. He was a new starter and had asked for help but was ignored. You know how intimidating managers can be. Experienced posties know their rights and can usually stand up for themselves but a lot of new guys don't even know they can cut off and are put under immense pressure.

He was obviously going over every day and probablly not getting paid for it and had two options, complete for nothing or hide it. No doubt taking it back, talking to his manager were not options in his mind due to his managers arrogance and intimidation. He should be pardoned and his line manager should be in the dock. NO PREVIOUS RECORD. The job made him a criminal by giving him no options other than work over everyday for nothing.

Your probably right opgpat,it's easy to jump on the "jail the lazy b*stard" bandwagon without really understanding why he did what he did.
There is no attempt to accuse him of theft from any of these items so i suspect he is not a threat to society.
This conviction will have a major effect on the rest of his working life.
"Royal Mail has extremely robust procedures for supporting our people and for assisting them where necessary if they are struggling with their work."
That statement alone should land RM in the dock for contempt of court but the union also has a part to play in supporting staff.
It's not enough to say we didn't know he had a problem.It is a reps job to make sure ALL new starts know there is support and advice there if required.

[clashcityrocker]

it's easy to jump on the "jail the lazy b*stard" bandwagon without really understanding why he did what he did.
There is no attempt to accuse him of theft from any of these items so i suspect he is not a threat to society.
This conviction will have a major effect on the rest of his working life.
"Royal Mail has extremely robust procedures for supporting our people and for assisting them where necessary if they are struggling with their work."
That statement alone should land RM in the dock for contempt of court but the union also has a part to play in supporting staff.
It's not enough to say we didn't know he had a problem.It is a reps job to make sure ALL new starts know there is support and advice there if required.

We have had a couple of incidents like this recently and it doesn't just affect newstarts.
The problems stem from "managers" whose only concern is ticking boxes (was the walk taken out - tick) and not the welfare of the staff.Do they not have a duty of care?
At the same time their "colleagues" are too interested in finishing early and /or are too busy to notice that the bloke standing next to them isn't coping.
Perhaps a bit of training for everybody on recognising stress in the workplace would be a good idea.
As far as I can see RM has no procedures in place for helping people who are struggling with anything.

[opgpat]

Good point clashman. We should all keep an eye out for new starters. Obviously a lot of the time you are struggling with your own duty but I'll always make sure if I see someone new in our big office to ask them if they have been told about paid breaks, that OT is payable and voluntary, how to book holidays etc. Usually they will be in the dark over something. A guy in our DO found out last week he was due paid breaks and he's been there 9 months. He's lost 900quid with no comeback. As a late starter and PT'er no-one had bothered to tell him.

If we look after new starters they will be less likely like this guy to have their future working life totally f****d up by a short spell in RM being pissed on by tosser managers who couldn't give a f**k about them. :cfo :mfo :lfo

[morleyposty]

Good point clashman. We should all keep an eye out for new starters. Obviously a lot of the time you are struggling with your own duty but I'll always make sure if I see someone new in our big office to ask them if they have been told about paid breaks, that OT is payable and voluntary, how to book holidays etc. Usually they will be in the dark over something. A guy in our DO found out last week he was due paid breaks and he's been there 9 months. He's lost 900quid with no comeback. As a late starter and PT'er no-one had bothered to tell him.

If we look after new starters they will be less likely like this guy to have their future working life totally f****d up by a short spell in RM being pissed on by tosser managers who couldn't give a f**k about them. :cfo :mfo :lfo

good post m8

i joined just over a year ago and when i first had my interview the dom did not mention anything about paid breaks, or o/t etc plus i was left on my own with only a cpl of days training on a walk.
now im on different walks basically everyday. no info no nothing on what to expect on the walk

[opgpat]

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. The bosses never tell you the score because they only care about the weekly wage bill and if they can decieve you to save a few quid they will. If you get really fed up with different walks everyday (i didn't mind it, just took my time and claimed for everything) tell them straight you've had enough of being messed about and want to be on a walk for atleast a week to get used to it. If they say the can't for logistical reasons (bullshit) just work your hours and cut off each day they will soon sort it out. Don't be afraid to take these people on, they are self-serving scumbags most of them.

[ghostgirl]

That's a bit harsh. He was a new starter and had asked for help but was ignored. You know how intimidating managers can be. Experienced posties know their rights and can usually stand up for themselves but a lot of new guys don't even know they can cut off and are put under immense pressure.

He was obviously going over every day and probablly not getting paid for it and had two options, complete for nothing or hide it. No doubt taking it back, talking to his manager were not options in his mind due to his managers arrogance and intimidation. He should be pardoned and his line manager should be in the dock. NO PREVIOUS RECORD. The job made him a criminal by giving him no options other than work over everyday for nothing.

You are right opgpat when you are a new starter the managers walk all over you and pile the work on you regardless and when you try to book overtime then you get bombarded and harrassed with stupid questions like why you couldn't complete on time because 'Bob' the regular postie who's worked there for 10 yrs completes the same duty in his time!! I was one who suffered in silence when I first started 2 1/2yrs ago and let the managers walk all over me because I was afraid I'd lose my job if I tried to book overtime or even had an opinion...but then I found royalmail chat and god did I learn a lot from here and still do!!! No more do I let them walk all over me I play it by the book work to my time or if i know I'm gonna go over then they have to let me book overtime or else i cut-off simple as that!!