This is pilfering postie Karl Forrest hiding behind his letterbox just after confessing to stealing over £11,000 of cash and gift cards.
The sticky-fingered postman brazenly opened hundreds of private letters, birthday cards and other packages containing cash and gift cards and trousered it for himself.
But he was caught eventually after he was identified using the gift cards in a number of shops.
Amazingly, the 41-year-old from Meadowvale Park, Limavady, continued his campaign of deceit and theft for over six years.
At Antrim Crown Court on Wednesday, Forrest entered guilty pleas to each of the ten charges against him – three of theft and seven of committing fraud by false representation on various dates between January 1 2013 and August 7 2019.
While the theft charges relate to dozens of gift cards, commemorative coins and cash in a range of currencies, the fraud charges relate to Forrest using the stolen gift cards at a range of shops including Debenhams, Next, Marks and Spencer, Ulster Stores and at the Roe Park Resort.
On Thursday we confronted Forrest at his comfortable suburban home, but he was reluctant to speak about his crimes.
“The case hasn’t finished yet so I can’t speak but I will talk in December after the sentencing,” he told us.
He added it had been a “difficult time” and confirmed he planned to pay all his victims back what they lost.
The court was told a day earlier how Forrest was ready to repay the full £11,500 and time will tell if that is enough to keep him from going to prison.
During his short court hearing none of the facts was opened but with defence counsel Damien Halleron confirming that Forrest “is in a position to make full restitution,” prosecuting counsel Michael Chambers suggested that he lodge £11,500 into his solicitor’s account and that can then be disseminated to his victims.
Mr Halleron told the court that in addition to a probation pre-sentence report, he would be lodging a psychiatric report in behalf of Forrest.
Freeing the self-confessed thief on continuing bail, Judge Patricia Smyth said she would pass sentence on December 15.