'Struggling' postman who hoarded over 7,000 letters jailed

Matthew Baxter, 31, who worked at the Grimsby Delivery Office, pleaded guilty to a serious breach of trust after failing to deliver his mail.

Baxter, who did not open the items or steal money from cards, said he was struggling to keep up with his deliveries so stashed piles of mail instead of asking his bosses for help.

He did not feel able to ask for help because of "the looming threat of redundancy", Grimsby Crown Court was told.

The situation came to light in July when the Post Office received complaints about letters and parcels not being delivered in the town.

The Royal Mail investigated and when Baxter was questioned he admitted there was one day when he did not deliver mail.

Nearly 2,000 packets were discovered in his sister's car and more than 5,000 packets were found in his home, none of which had been interfered with.

Bernard Gateshill, prosecuting, said in total 7,287 letters and parcels were recovered and their posting dates covered five to six weeks.

Baxter, who had started working as a postman 18 months earlier, admitted delaying a postal package between June 16 and July 28.

Laurinda Bower, for Baxter, said his behaviour was not born out of malice but, in his own words, "sheer stupidity".

"He did not open or tamper with any of the mail. He did not make any financial gain or any other gain," she said. "He intended to catch up with his rounds at some point.

"He did not seek to destroy the evidence or get rid of it. However deluded it was, he thought at some point he could catch up."

The court heard Baxter was in breach of a 51-week suspended prison sentence imposed at the same court in February last year for theft from his then employer, a commercial company.

Judge David Tremberg activated nine months of the suspended sentence, with an extra three months for the post office offence.

He told Baxter, who wept as the sentence was imposed, only prison was appropriate, adding: "You are one of the most feckless defendants this court has come across."