Postman stole cash from cards, court told

A POSTMAN who stole cash from birthday cards on his rounds was caught in a sting operation mounted by An Post.

Brian Kelleher, aged 29, of 42 Boherboy Close, Lotabeg, Mayfield, Cork, came under suspicion after complaints were made to An Post at the Mail Centre in Little Island about certain post not arriving at its destination.

In court yesterday, Inspector Mary King described the operation put in place to detect what was happening.

Kelleher, who has since resigned from An Post, was targeted. Sealed birthday cards containing cash were logged for contents and photocopies were made of the cards and the particular denominations that were enclosed. These cards were put into post for Kelleher to deliver to Cork city addresses in the course of his work on September 6, 2010.

“Four of the cards and other items were found to have gone missing on this day,” Inspector King said at Cork District Court.

Gardaí were notified and Kelleher was arrested. Items previously taken from post were found under the passenger seat and in the glove compartment of his van.

Notes matching those placed in birthday cards as part of the investigation were found in his wallet.

“He admitted removing items from the post on that day and said that he had been doing this for two months. And that in July and September, 2010, he had taken €1,200 cash from cards and had interfered with a total of 60 to 70 cards and disposing of some post after interfering with it,” Insp King said.

Kelleher pleaded guilty to multiple counts of stealing cash from post and related counts of opening a postal packet without permission of the owner.

Frank Buttimer, defending, said the defendant was investigated in respect of a limited number of thefts on September 6 but had made much wider prosecutions possible by admitting that he had been involved in this behaviour for the previous two months.

“He resigned forthwith and had worked there for five years. He had financial difficulties, essentially from gambling problems. He has attended Gamblers’ Anonymous and says his gambling has stopped,” he said.

Kelleher had randomly selected cards as part of his modus operandi, he said. “He would take the money and keep it. If there was no money he would endeavour to send such cards on. Cards that did contain money would not be sent on. There is a good system of detection within An Post and he later told gardaí what he had done.”

Judge Con O’Leary said he will impose sentence on Kelleher in a week’s time.