Suspended sentence for postal worker from Gorton

[RedBagMan]

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... -envelopes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Suspended sentence for postal worker from Gorton who stole cash from charity envelopes

A postal worker who tore open charity envelopes and stole the cash donations told a court he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of his actions.

Bernard Mumbaya-Kimbing, 46, admitted pocketing money which was supposed to help cancer sufferers and animal protection workers.

The dad-of-four was given a two-month suspended sentence after surveillance teams caught him thieving at Manchester Mail Centre in Ancoats.

Dummy packages containing money were put in his care, and he was seen opening them and taking the contents, a court heard.

The investigation had been launched after bosses discovered more than £2,000 in charity donations had gone missing there over three years.

Mumbaya-Kimbing was only prosecuted for the £40 he was seen to have taken and was not accused of stealing the rest of the cash.

The defendant, a sorting officer who had worked at the Ancoats depot for nearly four years, was seen emptying several charity envelopes over two days.

Investigators watched as he took about £40 in £1 coins from special charity envelopes which encourage members of the public to donate £3 each. He was later seen opening the dummy packages.

Clodagh Maguire, prosecuting for the Royal Mail, told Manchester magistrates’ court: “Specially-prepared packages were put into circulation during the surveillance, and the defendant was seen squeezing and examining most of them.

“He was seen to pop coins from the prepared packages.”

Money intended for the Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Alternative Animal Sanctuary was stolen, the court heard.

Donations to MacMillan Cancer Care are also believed to have been taken.

Mumbaya-Kimbing, of Buckley Road, Gorton, pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing from postal packages totalling £40.

He was given a two-month jail sentence suspended for a year, and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £500 costs.

Mumbaya-Kimbing was suspended following the investigation in September 2011 and was later sacked.

Philip Lythgoe, defending, said his client was ‘deeply ashamed’ and had lost his job and his reputation.

Mr Lythgoe added: “He’s genuinely embarrassed and ashamed for his actions, and has expressed remorse and regret to me and wants to apologise to the court.”

Mumbaya-Kimbing had run up debts after being unable to pay utilities bills, it was said.

Chairman of the bench Maria Brinicombe told him: “The public have to have confidence in our mail system and we hope this sentence will be a deterrent to others tempted to commit such a shameful breach of trust.”

[TeeferTiger]