Royal Mail driver threatened OAP over missing £50k

This is the Royal Mail delivery driver who threatened her 90-year-old neighbour after being accused of stealing £50,000 from her.

eraldine Mullan (49) was secretly recorded intimidating her elderly “best friend” in what a judge described as a “devastating and heart-rending” case.

Mullan, from Whitehill Park in Limavady, appeared at the town’s Magistrates’ Court last week to be sentenced after being convicted of intimidating a witness.

She was spared a prison term, but District Judge Peter King expressed frustration at his limited sentencing powers.

The court heard the victim’s family contacted police in December 2020 over concerns about money being taken from her Post Office account in a series of unauthorised withdrawals.

The PSNI later found she had lost £50,000 over a number of years.

When she was interviewed by police in February last year, Mullan, who works at the Royal Mail delivery office in Limavady, denied any wrongdoing.

However, a hidden listening device placed in the pensioner’s home by her son recorded the defendant speaking to the victim on two occasions.

The court was told Mullan was aggressive and abusive towards the great-grandmother and tried to persuade her to change her evidence.

She was also heard threatening to “not stop coming round” and approaching her about the allegations.

The pensioner later contacted police to change her statement but said she was only doing so after coming under pressure from Mullan.

The PSNI investigation into the missing £50,000 did not go any further because officers were “unable to connect any individual” to the offence.

After the recordings were handed to police, Mullan was charged with, and later admitted, intimidating a witness.

During a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, a defence solicitor said his client had not been convicted of any offence in relation to the missing money and should be treated accordingly.

He added: “The position in respect of my client is that she lost the run of herself about the allegations and took matters into her own hands, which she instantly regretted. She is also very remorseful.”

District Judge King expressed frustration with his sentencing powers and said Mullan could have faced a harsher punishment in the Crown Court.

He added: “The maximum period of custody I can impose in this court is six months, and I am obliged to give credit for the immediate guilty plea.

“In that case, Ms Mullan would be serving a sentence of six to eight weeks before being released, which is not sufficient in relation to the significant impact and misery caused to the victim.

“That leaves me with community service, which allows me to keep Ms Mullan paying her debt to society for this heinous crime for a longer period of time.

“I want to say my sentencing options in this case are very limited. This may well be a case where the defendant may have faced more serious punishment in the Crown Court.

“Four months’ custody is one option which is wholly inadequate.

“The impact on the victim has been devastating, and that devastation ripples out to the rest of the family. It is heart-rending.

“Regrettably, I come to the conclusion that my sentencing powers are not sufficient to deal with this appropriately in custody.

“As a direct alternative, I impose 220 hours of community service, which will take the best part of a year. I think this is of greater benefit than a shorter prison sentence.”

The victim’s family told Sunday Life they were “disappointed” with the sentence but “understood” the judge’s comments about his limited sentencing powers.

They also said their mum had treated Mullan like a daughter.

The family added: “We hoped she would lose her job with Royal Mail, but as far as we know she’s still working there. We’re waiting to see how they deal with it.

“We can understand where the judge was coming from, but we were disappointed it hadn’t gone to a higher court where she might have got a more severe punishment.

“We’re glad she has been dealt with and has a conviction, but we would have liked something stronger.

“This whole thing has absolutely wrecked my mum — it’s absolutely floored her. She’s not the same person she was last year. She’s just really hurt by all.”

Royal Mail declined to comment.