Postman jailed for hoarding 7,300 letters and parcels

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A POSTMAN hoarded nearly 7,300 letters and parcels because he claimed he was too over-worked to complete his deliveries.

Matthew Baxter, who worked at the Grimsby Delivery Office, in Fotherby Street, was jailed for a year for committing a serious breach of trust.

The 31-year-old – who did not open the items or steal money from cards – said he was struggling to keep up with his deliveries so stashed piles of mail instead of asking his bosses for help in shifting the backlog.

He did not feel able to ask for help because of "the looming threat of redundancy", Grimsby Crown Court was told.

The situation came to light in July, when the Post Office received complaints about letters and parcels not being delivered in the Grimsby area.

The Royal Mail investigated and Baxter was quizzed, the court heard.

Inquiries revealed he was the postman involved, and he admitted that there was one day when he did not deliver mail. His sister's car was searched and 1,994 packets were discovered, none of which had been interfered with.

His home was searched next and 5,293 packets were found. The total recovered was 7,287 and their posting dates covered five or six weeks, said Bernard Gateshill, prosecuting.

Baxter admitted delaying a postal package between June 16 and July 28.

Laurinda Bower, mitigating, said Baxter's behaviour was not born out of malice but, in his own words, "sheer stupidity". He had started working as a postman about 18 months earlier.

"He did not open or tamper with any of the mail," said Miss Bower. "He did not make any financial gain or any other gain.

"He intended to catch up with his rounds at some point. He did not seek to destroy the evidence or get rid of it.

"However deluded it was, he thought at some point he could catch up."

The court heard that Baxter was in breach of a 51-week suspended prison sentence imposed at the same court in February last year for theft from his then employer, a commercial company.

The cash taken on that occasion involved more than £8,000, the court heard. The prosecution originally claimed it could have been £12,700 but later accepted a lower figure.

Judge David Tremberg activated nine months of the suspended sentence, with an extra three months for the post office offence.

He told Baxter: "You are one of the most feckless defendants this court has come across. In breach of trust, you failed to deliver some 7,300 parcels and letters. That's persistent offending by you, taking place over a number of weeks. Detection was practically inevitable.

"Only a custodial sentence is appropriate for these offences."

Baxter, of King Edward Street, Scunthorpe, wept as the prison sentence was imposed.

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed that all the deliverable mail was delivered within days of it being found.

He added: "We don't discuss individual personnel issues. Royal Mail takes very seriously the security of its customers' mail and has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and that stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking and who do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely.

"We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust."

[Stormproof]

The court heard that Baxter was in breach of a 51-week suspended prison sentence imposed at the same court in February last year for theft from his then employer, a commercial company.

How the hell did he get a job with RM

[NWpostie]

The court heard that Baxter was in breach of a 51-week suspended prison sentence imposed at the same court in February last year for theft from his then employer, a commercial company.

How the hell did he get a job with RM

These days its if you got a pulse you're in