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A THIEVING Royal Mail postman who stole cash and gift cards from postal packets for almost a decade has been jailed.
Disgraced Michael Sullivan was caught red-handed after his employer planted decoy packets with GPS tracking devices which were later found in the postman’s pocket.
The 54-year-old father-of-one told police he could not recall how many packets he had stolen but at a guess would estimate 1,000.
Ellen Wright, prosecuting at Durham Crown Court, said: “In October 2018 a member of the delivery office management team reported the discovery of two mistreated postal packets in the glove compartment of a delivery vehicle. The usual driver of the vehicle was on leave and the vehicle was being used by the defendant.
“In June 2019 a further six mistreated postal packets were found behind the visor of a delivery vehicle. At that time the vehicle was being used by the defendant.
“All of the postal items that were recovered were greeting card style items.”
As a result of finding the packets, investigators for Royal Mail introduced specifically prepared postal packets which contained tracking devices, cash and gift cards.
Those packets were later found open inside Sullivan’s pocket and hidden underneath a jacket in his vehicle. A £20 note placed in one of the packets was also found in his pocket.
A search of Sullivan’s home recovered a significant quantity of postal packets, both sealed and opened, and gift cards and vouchers were also found.
Among the items was a handwritten job application dated August 2011.
One of the victims of the theft said in a statement: “I’m disappointed and concerned that my item was not delivered. I am disabled and in a wheelchair and can’t leave the house unaccompanied.
“I do all of my shopping online and rely on the Royal Mail to deliver my packages safely and securely. It is a lifeline to me because of my disability.”
Sullivan pleaded guilty to two charges of theft by employee between August 2011 and September 2019.
Kate Barnes, representing Sullivan, said her client had been suffering with stress and anxiety, which had led him to steal.
She said: “He describes work place issues and says it wasn’t until this came to light that he was able to reflect on the experience he had had. There have been periods where he was unfit to work because of his mental health.
“It’s difficult to give a proper explanation for what’s gone on and he struggles to do so himself.”
Judge Adkin told Sullivan: “You stole over a thousand items and the precise financial loss attributable to those items in unclear as the contents of the items would be unknown, but what is clear is that the timescale of the offending was significant, one job application was from 2011, nine years ago.
“This is a high degree of trust case, 1,000 people did not receive items they were entitled to and there is also the erosion of the trust in the Royal Mail.
“Your mitigation that you have suffered from mild anxiety, described in a letter dated November 2020, does not provide significant mitigation in the context of this offending.
“It was only on September 30 that you attended your doctor – five days after you were arrested and when you knew you were likely to be charged with offences of theft.
“Appropriate punishment in these sort of cases can only be achieved by immediate custody. There is a significant erosion in public trust and these cases necessitate a deterrent sentence.”
Sullivan, of of Temple Forge Mews, in Consett, was jailed for 10 months.
He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs in excess of £8,800 from his pension pot and £85 in compensation upon release from prison.
