A Perth postman who secreted more than 5,000 items of mainly junk mail has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Kevin Ewing, 31, of Wallace Crescent, felt unable to cope with the delivery of circulars and packets, so he hid some in a shed of a former house and put some in the boot of his car.
Ewing admitted that between April 9 2009 and March 5 last year, at Perth delivery office, he stole 672 addressed postal packets and admitted that between August 19 and December 3 last year he intentionally delayed 630 postal packets.
He pled guilty to a further charge that on October 1 last year he delayed a further 1,500 unaddressed postal packets, which were recovered from a delivery frame and car and admitted stealing 2,915 unaddressed dated postal packets between November 21 and December 11 last year.
Depute fiscal Jim Eodanable said Ewing’s employers became suspicious and carried out an 11-month surveillance operation on his deliveries.
“The employers found 917 door-to-door postal packets in a waste recycling bin along with another 2,000 similar items,” Mr Eodanable said.
The court heard there were around 5,360 items found in total.
Ewing was interviewed by his employers and they were given permission to search his house but did not find postal items there.
However, they did find some in his car boot.
Solicitor Jamie Morris said: “My client was in a confused state at this time and didn’t confront the position he was in.”
Sentencing Ewing, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told him: “I understand you held your hands up right at the start but while these postal items were not letters or packages from online companies, you were entrusted to deliver mail in what is an essential service.
“The period this covers is four-and-a-half years but I am prepared to deal with this by a community disposal.”