Postman prat: Royal Mail man dumped letters at home

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/POSTMAN- ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A POSTMAN ended up storing nearly 3,000 items of mail in a unit in Bristol when he couldn't keep up with his round.

Michael Harris, based at the Kingswood delivery office, put in 30 years' service with Royal Mail before being swamped with post on his round. When things got too much he began dumping letters and parcels at home.

Bristol Crown Court heard though he tried to catch up with deliveries, he amassed a mail mountain of 2,754 parcels and letters which he moved to Big Yellow Storage on Winterstoke Road.

He had previously locked Christmas cards in his car, meaning they did not reach the addresses they were intended for until well after December 25. Harris, 48, of Newquay Road in Knowle, originally faced a charge of theft but pleaded guilty to intentionally delaying postal packets.

Judge Susan Evans QC told him: "This was intentional delay of mail, not dishonesty. It was a delay over a significant period of time. It is obviously a serious offence and individuals suffered by not receiving items if mail. It damages confidence in the mail system."

Harris, right, declined to comment and left court wearing a change of top, a baseball cap and a scarf over his face.

Richard Cole, prosecuting, said Harris leased a storage unit from April last year but lapsed on rent and staff opened it to take an inventory.

They found personal possessions as well as boxes and a suitcase stuffed with franked mail, the court heard. Police were called in and liaised with Royal Mail and it was confirmed that there were 2,754 items of assorted post, including 42 opened but complete items and 403 advertising flyers.

Mr Cole said items were dated between February and November 2009, so were some two years late.

He said: "Mr Harris was a former postman who worked out of the Kingswood delivery office.

"He was dismissed in February 2010 for gross misconduct.

"There was an incident at the delivery office in which he locked some mail in his car over Christmas 2009.

"Delivery of the items was due on December 22 and they were not returned until December 30 so he deprived customers of Christmas mail.

"He failed to tell managers it was in his car. He said his keys were locked in the car and he was chasing the RAC to unlock it. That's why he was dismissed."

The court heard Harris was apprehended in July last year near a job centre. Mr Cole said: "He was cautioned and made no reply and when interviewed by Royal Mail investigation officers he refused to identify himself."

The court heard Harris had a previous conviction in May last year for drink driving and driving without insurance. The judge imposed a 12-month community order, with 100 hours of unpaid work. She ordered Harris to pay £250 compensation to Royal Mail.

Nicholas Arthur, defending, said it was delay, not theft, which landed his client in trouble. Mr Arthur stressed that though 42 items were open, their contents remained.

He said: "He does not accept any form of dishonesty or financial motivation. It's an aside that 42 packages – 1.7 per cent – of the overall amount were open."

Mr Arthur said his client was employed by Royal Mail for 30 years and for a very large part of that had served his employers and the public perfectly properly.

He said Harris was commended in 2003, but then dismissed and re-instated in a different role in Kingswood, which led to difficulties.

He told the court: "He was assigned a number of different walks. (delivery rounds). He struggled with those and he didn't complete the work. He didn't place himself under the doctor, he just didn't manage.

"These difficulties were the subject of warnings as it was deemed an appropriate amount of work for someone in his position.

"In November 2008 he was informed of disciplinary action for not completing rounds and in Christmas 2009 he was suspended on Christmas Eve and dismissed shortly after."

Mr Arthur said mail in Harris' car attracted attention as it was reported by a member of the public.

He said: "He was retaining mail. He tried to complete it with his next round but it became wholly unmanageable. The storage of mail was not sinister. He had been returning items to his home but was struggling to pay rent and put his belongings into the storage unit. It was mail and his worldly possessions.

"He didn't seek to destroy mail. He recognised it had to be returned."

The court heard after a marriage split father-of-one Harris either lived with his mother or in youth hostels.

[DirtyHarry]

The fault lies squarely with Royal Mail bosses.
They are asking for too much, from too few.
Different people handle extreme pressure in different ways, some like Mr.Harris, will handle being under extreme pressure badly, that is not their fault, not in the slightest.

[RedBagMan]

... and this is someone with 30 years service - not some "five weeker" who couldn't hack it - proves there's something seriously wrong somewhere ...

[Royal_Fail]

Its not Royal Mails fault its his own fault if he couldn't handle mail he should of cut off or said something he should know better than to take mail home or stash it in his car with 30 years service this guy obviously has issues

[fishtank]

Its not Royal Mails fault its his own fault if he couldn't handle mail he should of cut off or said something he should know better than to take mail home or stash it in his car with 30 years service this guy obviously has issues

Deciding to take the mail home was his fault.
What led to him making that decision may or may not have been his fault.
The only way to know that for sure is to step into his shoes...which none of us can do.

[DirtyHarry]

Its not Royal Mails fault its his own fault if he couldn't handle mail he should of cut off or said something he should know better than to take mail home or stash it in his car with 30 years service this guy obviously has issues

In my opinion, it is most definitely Royal Mail's fault.
They cannot keep cranking up the pressure on us, and not expect a few cracks to appear.
Royal Mail has a duty of care, which it miserably fails to observe.
Instead, we get this callous approach which leads to a man with 30yrs service doing something he has never done before.

[Lounge Lizard]

If that's with thirty years seniority, and presumably just about the best walk in that office, how do those with just thirty weeks or thirty months manage ?

[clashcityrocker]

There is an awful lot in this story that hasn't been properly explained.
He was previously dismissed - why?
30 years service but he appears to be a reserve/floater covering different rounds. Why?
He has a conviction for drink driving. Is he possibly a driver who then lost his licence? Couldn't cope as a delivery postie? Who knows?
Was it Royal Mail's fault he chose to drink and drive or drive without insurance?

I think there is a bigger issue here of men who are unable to ask for help when they are not coping.
His marriage broke down and he couldn't cope. He was living in Youth Hostels ffs. Effectively he was homeless.

Undoubtedly in the circumstances Royal Mail should have been a more caring employer. But it never is.
Sometimes people need to know when to ask for help.

[Royal_Fail]

I think there is a bigger issue here of men who are unable to ask for help when they are not coping.

I think that sums up alot of these types of stories.

[andy2007]

Does anyone know if he was a CWU member?
If so, what did they do/try to do to help him?
At the very least, he's been badly let down by RM,as have the people who's Mail he failed to deliver.

[Pat Ostman]

Does anyone know if he was a CWU member?
If so, what did they do/try to do to help him?
At the very least, he's been badly let down by RM,as have the people who's Mail he failed to deliver.

The CWU helped by relieving him of £3 a week and offering him a deal of the century in return

[andy2007]

I meant with his case. Someone should have helped him long before things got that bad. I don't know whether it was just the RM Managers, or his Rep as well. But the sad fact is, that this should never have happened to him.