Royal Mail fires postman under investigation for ‘hate crime’ after rainbow gnome knocked over

The resident said she was left ‘absolutely stunned’ after watching the doorbell footage

A former Royal Mail postman is under police investigation and has had his contract terminated after a Ring doorbell camera appeared to capture him kicking over a rainbow garden gnome.

The incident took place on Saturday (December 6), and Royal Mail has since confirmed that “the individual was an agency worker, and their contract assignment has been terminated with immediate effect”.

A planter bearing a Pride flag was also knocked over in the footage after the postman found no one was home at the address. The home’s occupant, who wishes to not be named, was “astounded” to return home on Saturday (December 6) with her fiancée and discover who caused the damage, reports Belfast Live.

“We were absolutely stunned when we checked the Ring footage. You never expect to see your own postman looking around to make sure the coast is clear and then deliberately kicking over your property,” the woman, who lives in East Belfast, said.

“It wasn’t just a gnome and a planter. It felt like a targeted message, and that’s what has really shaken us.

“There’s no doubt in our minds that this was a homophobic act. These items weren’t in his way. He sought them out and kicked them over on purpose.”

The incident was reported to Royal Mail the following day, with the mail service assuring them someone would be in contact, but, to date, no one has done so.

“We reported the incident to Royal Mail straight away and were told someone would be in touch, but we’ve heard nothing since. It’s added to the stress of the whole situation.

“At the very least, we expected a call back, some reassurance, or even an acknowledgement that what happened was unacceptable.

“We are not trying to cause trouble for the sake of it, but we don’t want anyone else to go through something like this.”

Inspector Adams said: “We received a report at around 11.15am on Sunday, 7th December of a plant pot containing a Pride flag and a garden gnome statue with a rainbow being knocked over at a property in the Rosebery Gardens area.

“It was reported that a man observed at the house at around 3.35pm on Saturday, 6th December, looked at the plant pot before deliberately kicking it over.

“This incident is being treated as a homophobic hate crime and our enquiries are ongoing.

“We would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have any information which could assist with our enquiries – including CCTV or other footage – to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 587 of 07/12/25.

“You can also submit a report or information online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/. ”

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “We have viewed the footage and referred it to local management for investigation. We take this seriously and are looking into what happened as a priority.

“The individual was an agency worker, and their contract assignment has been terminated with immediate effect.”