Postman stole cash from letters: Royal Mail stage sting oper

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postman stole cash from letters: Royal Mail stage sting operation after complaints

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news ... _1_3249992" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A pilfering postman from Peterborough admitted stealing around £1,400 from greeting cards he was being paid to deliver.

Graham Johnson (46), of Kesteven Walk, Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with two counts of theft in relation to his role at the Royal Mail’s delivery office in Werrington.

Johnson, who is currently suspended from the role, pleaded guilty to stealing post containing about £1,400 in cash as well as postage stamps, a Xbox game and a PS3 game between December 1, 2010 and July 28, 2011.

Hugh Cauthery, prosecuting on behalf of the Royal Mail, told the court Johnson had been working at the delivery office for more than five years, providing cover for delivery staff.

The court heard the thefts came to light after a resident in Eye complained on July 11 that two greeting cards, containing £30 in total, for her son’s birthday had not arrived.

He said: “She had wanted to collect for her son over the years until he was 18 all the birthday cards he had received.”

It prompted an investigation by Royal Mail into Johnson, who had been scheduled to deliver the missing mail.

This involved providing him with nine dummy packages to deliver across two addresses on two consecutive days, July 18 and 19. Only seven of the nine arrived.

On July 28, Johnson was put under surveillance as he was asked to deliver 11 specially prepared postal packages, which included cash marked for tracing purposes. Three packages went undelivered.

During the sting, Johnson was seen at the McDonald’s restaurant at Eye Green and one of the marked pound coins was retrieved from the till.

He was then approached by Royal Mail investigators on the same day and agreed to a search.

They found three £5 bank notes taken from two of the undelivered packages in his wallet and in his car, they found 29 packages, postage stamps and a glasses case containing £50, which he later admitted had been stolen from a greeting card.

At his house they found a Xbox game, a PS3 game and another computer game that had been stolen.

He told the company he had stolen up to three greeting cards two or three times a week, netting £50 or £60, over the eight-month period. He accepted that the estimated total stolen amounted to around £1,400.

Mr Cauthery said: “If an address had five greeting cards packages he would deliver some and retain some on the basis it would look as if the postal packages had gone astray quite innocently.”

The court heard that Johnson told investigators he had taken the money to pay outstanding credit card debts.

The case was adjourned until December 6 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, leaving open the possibility he could be sentenced at crown court due to the seriousness of the offences.

Royal Mail spokesman Heulyn Gwyn Davies said: “Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty and this stance is shared by the overwhelming majority of postmen and women, who are honest and hardworking and do all they can to protect the mail and deliver it safely. We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority who abuse their position of trust.”

[Straight4ward]

and in his car, they found 29 packages, postage stamps and a glasses case containing £50

It seems to me that if RM are serious about stopping theft, then one of the first, and simplest,
things they should do is ban private cars on delivery.

[DirtyHarry]

and in his car, they found 29 packages, postage stamps and a glasses case containing £50

It seems to me that if RM are serious about stopping theft, then one of the first, and simplest,
things they should do is ban private cars on delivery.