Former postman avoids jail for stealing mail in Cork after making U-turn in his life

The former postal worker carried out the thefts during his work between 2019 and 2022. File Picture: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

A former postman who managed to make a complete U-turn in his life since he interfered with postal packets and carried out thefts during his work between 2019 and 2022 was given a two-year suspended sentence on Wednesday.

Following submissions from barrister Neal Horgan on behalf of 39-year-old Seán Hogan at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Sinead Behan accepted that the accused had made genuine efforts to make a U-turn in his life, had a very favourable probation report, new employment and had shown real remorse.

In the case investigated by Detective Garda Peter Nolan, Seán Hogan pleaded guilty to nine sample charges against him.

Mr Horgan said: “He has no previous convictions. This happened against a backdrop of addiction issues.” Since then he contributed €1,000 to charity, a further €1,500 to charity on Wednesday and €100 to each of five injured parties.

Brendan Kelly, prosecution barrister, said: “The pleas of guilty are entered on a full facts basis. He came forward co-operatively on a book of evidence allowing the director to bring a much more streamlined book of evidence that does not really cover the extent of the offences.” 

The charges which were admitted by Seán Hogan related to a period from August 2019 to February 2022.

Charges

The first charge stated that in August 2019 at The Quays, Main Street, Passage West — where he was living — while being a person who was a postal service provider and contrary to his duty he did intentionally delay, detain, interfere with and open a postal package addressed to another. 

The next two charges referred to the same place in January 2020 and January 2021. The fourth charge was for a similar offence on January 2022 at Main Street, Innishannon.

The next charges refer to different periods between December 2020 and February 2022 at An Post South City delivery service unit, Togher industrial estate, where various items were dishonestly appropriated, namely €100 cash, €10 worth of Lottery tickets, a ceramic mug, €20 worth of lottery tickets and a €100 cheque.

“This was a serious breach of trust affecting both the public and for An Post,” Judge Sinead Behan said.

Discovery

Det. Garda Nolan of Clonakilty Garda Station told the court that Hogan, who worked at the Cork South City Delivery Centre in Togher, was stopped by gardaí in Innishannon, Co Cork, on January 27, 2022, at a routine checkpoint and officers noticed a large quantity of mail in his car.

They found 149 undelivered items and 514 items that had been violated and, in a follow-up search of his apartment in Passage West on February 7, they found 1,692 postal items of which 1,257 had been interfered with while they also found 6,000 undelivered publicity posts.

The items found in Hogan's car were posted between December 21, 2020, and January 22, 2022, while the items found in his apartment had been posted before August 12, 2019, and January 21, 2022, and the discovery led to an inquiry by the An Post National Investigation Unit.

All the items were photographed and documented and while An Post was able to send some items to their intended destination and return others to their senders, a large number of the violated items could not be either delivered or returned to sender, said Det. Garda Nolan.

Hogan was very forthcoming when he was stopped on January 27, 2022, and he was even more forthcoming and co-operative and made full admissions when he presented at Bandon Garda Station on May 13, 2022, for arrest and interview, said Det. Garda Nolan.

Hogan explained that he had become addicted to drink and drugs as a way of coping with a personal problem in his life and he had begun by opening a few letters and stealing small sums of cash and the problem escalated as his substance abuse worsened.

Det. Garda Nolan said that Hogan had no relevant previous convictions and had not come to Garda attention since the incident.