Suspended sentence for thieving postie

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/story-15189 ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A FORMER postie has narrowly avoided jail after stealing money from packages she was meant to deliver.

Appearing at Canterbury Magistrates' Court on Tuesday Lucy Clark, 34, of Links Close, Herne Bay, was sentenced to a 120-day jail term suspended for 12 months.

Chairman of the bench Anthony Hogben told her it was a serious crime. He added: "I am thinking of the grandparent that was sending their hard-earned cash to a grandchild but it never arrived."

Mr Hogben said that Clark's actions had caused the public to lose faith in the postal service.

Mother-of-two Clark, who was a postal worker for 11 years, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of opening packages and two counts of theft from a mailbag, between June and September 2011.

Defending, Ian Bond said that extreme stress, anxiety, depression and personal problems had caused Clark to "act in a way that was entirely out of character".

He added: "She is thoroughly ashamed of herself.

"She is reflecting on 11 honest years of working for the post office and then on it ending the way it did.

"She is an intelligent woman and understands the consequences to the individuals whose packages were interfered with."

Natasha Barnes, prosecuting for the Royal Mail, said Clark was caught after suspicious bosses planted a £10 note in a package and she stole it.

Eight open packages were discovered in the pockets of two of Clark's jackets and in her parcel tray and she admitted to stealing about £30.

She was given a 12-month community order with supervision requirements and ordered to pay £240 towards the £2,602 costs incurred bringing the case to court.

[stokes11eg]

No sympathy, but why do folks still persist in sending money through the post?

[DGP1]

No sympathy, but why do folks still persist in sending money through the post?

Because the vast majority of us don't steal, we know what's in the envelope but we just deliver it and most of the public know that which is why they still send cash.

[stokes11eg]

No sympathy, but why do folks still persist in sending money through the post?

Because the vast majority of us don't steal, we know what's in the envelope but we just deliver it and most of the public know that which is why they still send cash.

Yip- I suppose so. But these thiefs make us all look bad!

[arnold cheshire]

No sympathy, but why do folks still persist in sending money through the post?

Because the vast majority of us don't steal, we know what's in the envelope but we just deliver it and most of the public know that which is why they still send cash.

Yip- I suppose so. But these thiefs make us all look bad!

too many suspened sentences being handed down lock them up

[DGP1]

No sympathy, but why do folks still persist in sending money through the post?

Because the vast majority of us don't steal, we know what's in the envelope but we just deliver it and most of the public know that which is why they still send cash.

Yip- I suppose so. But these thiefs make us all look bad!

too many suspened sentences being handed down lock them up

Too many people sent to jail anyway, e really need a better alternative because we can't just keep sending everyone to jail because reactionary people demand it.

[fishtank]

Too many people sent to jail anyway, e really need a better alternative because we can't just keep sending everyone to jail because reactionary people demand it.

It's easy to say lock them up,it's not so easy to pay for it or have a prison in every town.
That's when the reactionaries start shuffling away.
Angry from Kent might want her locked up but he doesn't fancy a tax hike and looking out his bay window onto a 12 foot wall topped with barbed wire.

[DGP1]

Too many people sent to jail anyway, e really need a better alternative because we can't just keep sending everyone to jail because reactionary people demand it.

It's easy to say lock them up,it's not so easy to pay for it or have a prison in every town.
That's when the reactionaries start shuffling away.
Angry from Kent might want her locked up but he doesn't fancy a tax hike and looking out his bay window onto a 12 foot wall topped with barbed wire.

Exactly, it's too easy to get upset but we can't lock everyone up..............or maybe we could just wall off London and use that as a prison (images of Snake Plissken spring to mind).

[TeeferTiger]

I think we should use one/all of the shetland isles or something as prisons. Isolated, shitty weather, cold... Send all the really bad ones up there and then all the not so bad ones can stay reasonably local to their families I suppose. But still no sky TV or owt like that. They can play board games/dominoes for recreation and read books/learn/attend skills workshops while they're inside. I don't see why they should have better living that some people have who aren't in prison.

I also think that alcoholics and drug addicts who keep getting arrested and sent to prison should be sectioned and sent to a secure hospital to get clean as they're clearly not fit to look after themselves. Then, when they are clean, they can attend workshops etc to better themselves.

DGP, this is going in the manifesto!

[stokes11eg]

I think we should use one/all of the shetland isles or something as prisons. Isolated, shitty weather, cold... Send all the really bad ones up there and then all the not so bad ones can stay reasonably local to their families I suppose. But still no sky TV or owt like that. They can play board games/dominoes for recreation and read books/learn/attend skills workshops while they're inside. I don't see why they should have better living that some people have who aren't in prison.

I also think that alcoholics and drug addicts who keep getting arrested and sent to prison should be sectioned and sent to a secure hospital to get clean as they're clearly not fit to look after themselves. Then, when they are clean, they can attend workshops etc to better themselves.

DGP, this is going in the manifesto!

I read an interesting article today in the paper, by a released prisoner. He confirms that prison is a soft touch, with every effort being made to cater to the needs of the inmates!
If only we had the same rights.

[fishtank]

I think we should use Wales as a prison.

The Shetlands are a beautiful place...even the bus shelters are furnished.

[TeeferTiger]

I think we should use Wales as a prison.

The Shetlands are a beautiful place...even the bus shelters are furnished.

No, we have nice weather here (sometimes) and it's not an island and so easier to escape from. I chose the Shetland Islands for a reason! I have put some thought into this you know... lol

[fishtank]

I have put some thought into this you know... lol

No you haven't.
If you had you would pick the islands of Arran,Bute, Great Cumbrae and Inchmarnock.
They are already on Glasgow's doorstep.
Why pay a fortune to ship the criminals all the way to the Shetlands when you can just throw them in the Clyde and make them swim for it?
It's win/win.

[TeeferTiger]

I have put some thought into this you know... lol

No you haven't.
If you had you would pick the islands of Arran,Bute, Great Cumbrae and Inchmarnock.
They are already on Glasgow's doorstep.
Why pay a fortune to ship the criminals all the way to the Shetlands when you can just throw them in the Clyde and make them swim for it?
It's win/win.

But the ones in Glasgow are the ones that will be put into secure hospitals to clean up and therefore won't be going onto the Shetland isles I said only the bad ones will be going onto the Shetland Isles.

[andy2007]

Too many people sent to jail anyway, e really need a better alternative because we can't just keep sending everyone to jail because reactionary people demand it.

It's easy to say lock them up,it's not so easy to pay for it or have a prison in every town.
That's when the reactionaries start shuffling away.
Angry from Kent might want her locked up but he doesn't fancy a tax hike and looking out his bay window onto a 12 foot wall topped with barbed wire.

Exactly, it's too easy to get upset but we can't lock everyone up..............or maybe we could just wall off London and use that as a prison (images of Snake Plissken spring to mind).

Then what do you suggest?
What we need, is a REAL deterrant. Just giving suspended sentences etc., doesn't provide a deterrant. So what should we have?
You're right that the Prisons are overcrowded, and apart from the danger from other inmates, they're better than some cheap Hotels. What about Prison Ships?
They won't be near to any Homes, and can be reached by Helicopter or Boat. So they could still have visitors. I'm sure there are plenty of old ships awaiting decommissioning, which could be converted. What do you think?

If we have a proper deterrant, there would be a lot less thieves. It's far too easy for someone to pocket a letter, card, or whatever. So rather than this being a "reactionary" response, it's a means of PREVENTING thefts. You'll never cut it out completely (even the dark days of Capital Punnishment failed to do that!), but you'll deter a lot of people, if they know they'll be locked up, and their Families will probably have high travel costs to go and visit them.

At the moment, we have a situation where anyone with money troubles and totally devoid of morals (like Lucy Clark) are tempted by the easy access to valuables in the Mail. And what's to stop them?
A suspended sentence, and being told they're a naughty girl or boy, by a Judge?
They're not little children! Telling them they've been bad, isn't going to bother them. No matter how much they put on "the waterworks"!

I've lost count of how many cases like this we've seen over the past few years. And out of all of them, with their sob stories, and cries of "it's not my fault!". I can only think of 1 case, which only involved delaying the Mail, rather then stealing. In a case like that one, it's highly likley, that things had simply got too bad for the defendant to cope. But the moment that things start going missing from the Mail, that argument goes out of the window! If someone's suffering from stress or depression, they can feel trapped, and end up hiding the problem. Which results in the Mail piling up somewhere. THAT I can understand, and I sympathise with. It doesn't make it right. But it's perfectly understandable, considering the way that so many are treated by RM. Constant pressure to do the impossible can do that to a person. But that's only a valid argument if nothing is stolen. Theft is theft. It's the sign of someone with no Honour whatsoever. A stain on the reputation of Posties everywhere.