Postman who didn't deliver receives suspended sentence

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postman who didn't deliver receives suspended sentence and fine

http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/ ... ticle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

LAZY postman Paul Betts kept back about 5,000 parcels and packets to save himself time, a court heard.

Betts, 37, of Lindley Street, Scunthorpe, admitted intentionally delaying postal packages.

Karen Tunnacliffe, prosecuting for the Royal Mail, told Grimsby Crown Court that Betts was employed as a postman for three years and five months at Goole delivery office, but resigned on September 13.

An investigation was launched after the housing association that managed his home discovered a large amount of undelivered mail.



Of the 3,719 packets found, 1,856 were found to be junk mail. Postmen receive extra payments for delivering those items. The packets were dated between 2008 and last year.

His new home and car were searched and 911 packets were found, including 537 from his home and 374 from his vehicle.

They were dated between July 19 and September 10 last year.

Betts had diverted or delayed post almost from the start of his employment.

He told investigators he "wasn't a bad guy" and he was genuinely sorry.

Mrs Tunnacliffe stressed that, apart from the extra payments that he had wrongly received, Betts was not stealing from cards or packets and he appeared to have made no other financial gain.

Richard Lunn, mitigating, said Betts had no previous convictions and made full admissions right from the outset when quizzed by investigators.

He had been working since losing his job as a postman, but work had been "drying up" recently and he was expecting to be claiming benefit.

Judge David Tremberg told Betts it was a "persistent and long-running breach of trust" that undermined people's trust in the postal service.

"As a matter of principle, the postal service runs as a matter of trust," he said. "People trust the post they send will not be interfered with by people who are there on trust to deliver it.

"You delayed and interfered with those postal packages over an extended period of time. Half the mail you failed to deliver was not junk mail and people are entitled to rely on the Royal Mail for deliveries.

"You were not stealing for personal gain but, to save yourself some time, you decided to archive some of it in a rather ham-fisted way."

Betts was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, 120 hours' unpaid work and was ordered to pay £209.29 compensation for damaged post.

[taurus88]

Postmen receive extra payments for delivering those items.

I do like the attitude from a lot of these judges though which seems to suggest that they wouldn't give a flying frak if it had only been junk mail!

[kimski1976]

packets why do they say packets. is it so when the public read about this they think omg.