Parcelforce driver found guilty of stealing 500 from PO

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Parcelforce driver found guilty of stealing £500 from post office

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

A FORMER delivery driver for Parcelforce has been found guilty of stealing £500 in £1 coins when collecting parcels from a post office.

When caught with most of the money, Matthew Fay, of Leighlands, Pound Hill, made up a story that he had won it on a scratchcard – but two weeks later he changed his story and claimed he had picked the money up by mistake while collecting parcels from a post office in Worthing.

This explanation was dismissed, however, at Horsham Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Counter clerk Fiona Thompson realised the money was missing after Fay, 19, had collected parcels from the counter area, behind where staff sit, on August 13 last year. She told the court that Fay approached her after putting parcels in his van, which was parked at the back of the post office.

Mrs Thompson said: "He came in and asked me if we had any CCTV. I said 'not behind the counter but on the public side'.

"I asked 'why do you want to know?' I thought it was a strange question.

"He said his manager had asked him to because they had an incident between a customer and a Parcelforce driver in another office."

Her suspicions raised, Mrs Thompson contacted Parcelforce Worldwide, which is part of the Royal Mail.

On arriving back at his depot in James Watt Way, Manor Royal, at about 6pm Fay was searched. Coins totalling £480 of the missing £500 were found in his own bag in the front of the delivery van – and he told his manager he had won the money on a scratch-card.

He was immediately suspended from work and police were called. They left the matter with Parcelforce.

Fay was interviewed by Andrew Wade, an investigation manager for Royal Mail, on August 30. This was when Fay claimed he had picked up the money by mistake.

He said he made up the story about the scratch-card win because he panicked.

He also claimed that he had been forced to brake heavily on the journey back to Crawley, causing the parcels in the back of the van to move.

When he checked his load he claimed he saw the money, which was contained in small bags, had come loose from a bigger bag – so he moved it into his own bag.

Paul Luttman, defending, told the court that Fay had been accepted as a special constable with Sussex Police, a role he was meant to start at the end of last year. He said: "The defence says it's a simple mistake."

But magistrates found Fay guilty of theft by employee.

Chairman of the bench Ian MacDonald said: "We believe Mr Fay succumbed to temptation."

Fay will be sentenced at Crawley Magistrates' Court on July 31.

[datasaint]

Scratchcards pay out £500 winnings in £1 coins now do they? lol

What a class 1 numpty.