Postwoman tried to burn deliveries on a barbecue

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postwoman tried to burn deliveries on a barbecue after struggling with work

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/post ... -1-4409484" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A STRUGGLING postwoman hoarded thousands of letters and burned piles of junk mail.

Catherine Marie Kirtley landed a job delivering mail around Houghton, Sunderland magistrates heard.

But five months into her employment, Royal Mail launched an investigation after residents on her round complained their post had not arrived.

The 25-year-old, who suffers from depression, admitted she had not been delivering letters and instead had stashed them at her home in Roker.

Investigations revealed Kirtley, of Gillside Grove, failed to deliver more than 3,700 items of mail between September and December last year.

The court heard how she even piled leaflets on to her barbecue and doused them with fuel in an attempt to torch them.

Around December of that year she tried to set fire to 100 packs which should have been delivered with the post.

Prosecuting for the Royal Mail, Orla Davey said Kirtley, who was previously of good character, claimed she had not been given enough training.

“She said she could not do the job. She said ‘I did not want to keep people’s mail. I did not want to steal it. I just did not know what to do’.

“She delivered one street and took the rest home and hid them in black bags in the garage.”

On one occasion troubled Kirtley was so distraught that she took a quantity of tablets outside her workplace.

Her husband took her to hospital and she was off for about three weeks.

Defending, Heather Bolton passed JPs a letter from Kirtley’s GP, confirming she was battling lifelong depression.

Mrs Bolton said Kirtley was put through one day of training in the office at Royal Mail, and three days on the road with a colleague who was due to go off on maternity leave.

Her round was supposed to run from 9.30am to 2.30pm, but was taking until 5pm to complete.

Mrs Bolton said: “She did raise this with her manager and explained she was not able to do the job.

“They did send someone out to do the job with her to show her it could be done in the requisite time.

“She was not showing up at her work and her husband found out, so she did go back.”

Mrs Bolton added: “She would collect the mail and would deliver some of it, but not all of it, and it was accumulating and got out of control.

“I understand the mail has all been delivered so everyone has received their post, even though it is late.

“The post that was destroyed was advertising leaflets, but she accepts that people did pay the Royal Mail to have their leaflets delivered and they should have been delivered.”

Kirtley admitted criminal damage and an offence under the Postal Services Act.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 court costs and £172.50 compensation.

[hubbahubba]

I know people hoarding mail for delivery isn't a new problem,but it seems to me there are a lot more stories on this topic where D2D items make up the majority of the undelivered mail.
I'm sure that as part of the 2010 agreement D2D prep was meant to be factored into the duty times,or am i just being naive?

[DirtyHarry]

The more, Royal Mail bosses fook-up the postal service, the more of these stories we will see.

[stokes11eg]

I've always believed that if R/ M were honest from the start and explained to new starts that they will most likely be working over their time, especially when first on the job, it would prevent some of this--either through some people turning the job down, or because that at least the poor souls would be aware of it--let's face it, in any other job, you finish at the set time, and can work family committments round about it,----and please don't say she should have cut off! That's not easy for a new start!
Normally, I don't have much sympathy for work dodgers, but this seems to be a case where some understanding is due.

[blackadder]

i remember starting and you had someone holding your hand for couple days showing you the ropes and how to do a round, which was 2 in them days. nowdays the newbies get no help. heres your round and get on with it. never had cutting off or dumping of mail then and only reason why its happening now is cost cutting which will only get worse as more and more full timers are leaving

[RedBagMan]

... either that - or you'd go out with a coach i.e. two of you doing one walk ... finishing "early" ( ) and then being sent out on your own with a FULL walk - it's certainly a shock to the system , but surely anyone with an ounce of nouse ought to be able to work that one out ! Once again though it's a case of "I'm going over ... who do I turn to ??" - and this does seem to be a serious problem WHICH MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE ADDRESSING ...

Looking at this story though - "suffering from depression" - do we not have medical checks as well as security checks - I think not (as I remember, no-one asked me about my asthma and my right leg being held together by a large metal plate (and yes I'm being serious ...)

[slave]

Management have created rounds that are at the limit, or over in some cases so someone new doesn't stand much of a chance. Management don't give a toss, the computer says it can be done so you should be able to. Etc..

It seems like there's more of these stories now than there used to be and there's less of us now too, that speaks volumes..... Do RM sit up and take note, nah, bury head in sand and ignore the underlying issues.

[Carp]

Although the public would be slating her,if only they knew how stressfull and how far this job can take you to the limits.I feel sorry for her,as she suffers from depresion and hope she finds another,no doubt stress free job compared to the one she expierenced.

[BELIAL]

Well she obviously had big problems ; her manager obviously failed to notice ; she obviously for whatever reason felt unable to approach her manager. All things considered there is more than one person not doing their job correctly in this case , but only one got punished