A postman stashed 12 sacks of mail containing 4,000 letters and parcels in his loft.
Jason Cooper opened some of the parcels, but left the contents intact. Opened parcels were found scattered across the eaves of the loft, when police raided his Billingham home in 2022. Cooper, who worked across Hartlepool and Stockton, said he was overworked and had been given too much to deliver.
On Monday, the dad-of-three appeared at Teesside Crown Court for sentencing. The 30-year-old previously pleaded guilty to delaying the delivery of mail and to opening mail between 2017 to 2022, just before he was due to stand trial.
The court heard that in 2022, a workman who was called out to Cooper's address, saw the sacks of mail in his loft. The man took photos before asking Cooper about what he had seen as he left the house. Cooper told the workman that he "didn't know anything about it" before asking, "should I get rid of it?"
Cooper had failed to deliver 4,000 letters, parcels and leaflets, which included 613 "door-to-door" items, which the Post Office receives additional money to deliver. Cooper would have been paid extra for their delivery, on top of his usual pay.
The Middlesbrough court heard that the mail, which was covered in dust, had been in the loft for eight months. The undelivered mail had been posted between 2020 and 2021. Cooper had moved to Billingham, from Hartlepool, and had brought the sacks with him.
The workman reported what he had seen to the police, and they searched Cooper's home. Although some parcels and letters had been opened, bank cards were left untouched, inside.
When he was arrested and interviewed by the police, Cooper said he had been given "too many bags to deliver". He had received warnings about his poor time-keeping and for not scanning letters, whilst he was employed as a postman from 2017 to 2022. He was sacked after he was arrested.
The court heard that the Post Office had to pay out compensation for undelivered items, after they received complaints.
'You weren't the best of workers'
In mitigation, Shaun Dryden said that Cooper now cares for his three children, the youngest of whom is a toddler, and his wife goes out to work. "He lost his job as a result of this," Mr Dryden said, "and it's unlikely he will trouble the court again."
Judge Richard Thomas told Cooper: "The days are not long gone, where a postman who stole one letter - let alone hundreds or thousands, would go to prison, full stop. In 2024, sentencing guidelines changed and it would be damaging to your family and those young children, if I send you down.
"You were employed as a postman. Seemingly you weren't the best of workers. You knew full well that you were trusted by the public, and your employers, to deliver the mail."
Cooper, of The Green in Billingham, was handed a 12-month prison term, suspended for two-years. He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. "You may be breathing a sigh of relief and thinking that's it," the judge continued, "but if you get into any trouble in the next two years - a fight in the pub or anything - this sentence will come into effect."
