Postman jailed after setting fire to mail and stealing cash

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A POSTMAN has been jailed after failing to deliver more than 25,000 items of mail.

Graham Hughes, aged 53, stole items from packages, set letters on fire and ripped others up during four years as a postman in Longton.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday heard Hughes was put under surveillance by Royal Mail after the company received a number of complaints about mail going missing on his round.

On November 12 last year a tracker device was put in with some mail Hughes was due to sort, and when he left the delivery office the signal was picked up.

He was then approached as he waited for a bus after finishing his round and cautioned. The item was recovered from his pouch, as were other items of mail.

When he was interviewed, he agreed to his house being searched and admitted interfering with the mail.

Catherine Rimmer, representing Royal Mail, said: "A search of his home revealed 25,080 undelivered door-to-door postal packets, which companies pay Royal Mail to deliver for them, and which postal workers are paid extra for delivering.

"There were also 580 undelivered addressed postal packets.

"There were also eight rental DVDs, an MP4 player and cards for a Nintendo DS, which he admitted to taking from the post."

The post was found in his house and garage. He admitted burning 12 items of mail and ripping up 60 more.

He also confessed to stealing £40 from greeting cards.

In interview, Hughes said he had not delivered the post because he was under too much pressure at work and had not taken it back to the sorting office because he was embarrassed.

Miss Rimmer said he had been paid more than £2,500 extra to deliver the door-to-door packets, which had now been docked from his company pension.

Hughes, of Elmwood Drive, Blythe Bridge, pleaded guilty to two counts of interfering with the mail, theft, criminal damage and criminal damage by fire.

Alison Downs, mitigating, said: "Mr Hughes is a 53-year-old man who has no previous convictions.

"He is fully ashamed of himself and the shame he has brought on his family.

"Because of these proceedings he has, of course, lost his employment, and has been prescribed anti-depressants."

Judge Simon Tonking sentenced Hughes to a total of eight months in prison.

He said: "In 2005 you were employed as a postman, and for most of the time you were working you were interfering with the mail.

"What you were doing was thoroughly dishonest, but worse than that it was a persistent breach of the trust your employer and the public put in you."

[smelly_cat_lady]

Was he 'upset and scared' ?

[REDLETTER]

25,080 undelivered door-to-door postal packets

Was he nicking those free pens we use to get in D2Ds!

[britwrit]

A tiny, squalid cell. The shame of friends and family. Being slapped around in the yard by your fellow prisoners, being taunted mercilessly as the "mail thief."

Or my normal shift at work?

You know, I think I envy the guy.