Thieving Calcot postie betrayed customers court hears
Bruno Ribeiro stole money and vouchers from birthday card envelopes and also handed his post over to a mystery criminal who paid him between £700 and £1,000 in exchange for letters and packages, Reading Crown Court was told.
The 25-year-old was caught red-handed when hundreds of letters were discovered dumped in a skip.
The mail was traced back to Ribeiro's post round and when police raided his house they found more opened letters, birthday cards, and LoveFilm DVDs that he was supposed to have delivered to houses.
A sentencing judge criticised the postal worker's “breach of trust” in betraying his Royal Mail customers.
However, Ribeiro, of Bayford Drive, Calcot, avoided jail because only £100 was reported as missing by householders.
The rest of his victims did not come forward to police because they may have been totally unaware of the birthday gifts that never arrived, the judge heard.
Adam Beamont, prosecuting, said: “He stated in that interview that he was approached by a man who asked him to steal mail for him in return for payment. He said he went along with it and received between £700 and £1,000 from that stranger”. The prosecutor said the "mystery man" would contact Ribeiro every day and take away his mail.
The criminal would then return most of the mail the following day and Ribeiro would also sift through the remaining items to take money and vouchers for himself, the court heard.
Ribeiro admitted a single charge of theft of postal packets.
Sentencing Ribeiro - who now works in a casino - Judge Stephen John said: “The vast majority of Royal Mail staff who offend in this way go into
custody with immediate effect to demonstrate that theft in breach of trust is regarded as very
serious by the courts, to punish the employee and act as a deterrent to others."
However, he said Ribeiro should “count himself lucky”
to avoid jail as he ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Ribeiro was also ordered to pay £222 compensation to the Royal Mail and £1,000 costs.