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Post Office investigator caught stealing mail

10:20pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

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A Royal Mail investigator hired to solve thefts in by his colleagues instead pocketed cash and valuables from parcels.

Stephen Matthews, 39, helped himself to special delivery bags containing goods worth almost £2,000 which should have been evidence in his own inquiries.

Wedding rings, passports and airline tickets ended up stashed under his desk instead of being delivered to the people they were posted to.

Matthews, who claims he committed the crimes because he ran up an £80,000 debt on credit cards, could be jailed when he is sentenced at Lewes Crown Court.

Fellow investigators caught him in the act when they searched his desk at the North Road sorting office in Brighton and found 35 special delivery and recorded delivery postal packets.

Staff had became suspicious when Matthews confided to them that he was heavily in debt.

Matthews, of Greenacres, Shoreham, admitted theft and fraud at Brighton Magistrates' Court today.

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Your Say YourThe Argus

JD, btn says...
7:57am Fri 4 Jul 08

That may well be true. But he should have had his finances checked out before given a role with such responsibility.....£
80000 = no way out! PS How does someone who works for the post office get that much credit...... CC companies only have themselves to blame! B********

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not happy, shoreham says...
9:54am Fri 4 Jul 08

as somebody who runs an ecommerce company I've lost so much mail in the last 12 months that it's been a struggle to stay afloat. I've complained to royal mail a number of occassions only to be told that because royal mail handle the collection of the mail and the delivery, but not exclusively the bit in the middle, that other companies may be responsible for my mail going missing. while I'm being fobbed off with that BS from royal mail the very people who are meant to get to the bottom of the problem have their own hands in the till!

It's honestly beyond belief

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bobby bigballs, Brighton says...
10:30am Fri 4 Jul 08

So who investigates the investigaters?

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Roy Hills, Heathfield says...
10:40am Fri 4 Jul 08

Try posting an obvious birthday card with a fiver inside. 70% chance of it never arriving! I notice that banks now have to use couriers as Royal Mail has such sticky fingers!

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sandi-pandi, brighton says...
12:31pm Fri 4 Jul 08

funny how royal mail never lose bills...they never have this trouble in greendale postman pat prob the only postie you can trust

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K, says...
1:35pm Fri 4 Jul 08

Perhaps that's where my birthday money ended up last year... Though I'm sure more desks should be checked around the country.

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Andrew, says...
2:16pm Fri 4 Jul 08

Roy Hills wrote:
Try posting an obvious birthday card with a fiver inside. 70% chance of it never arriving! I notice that banks now have to use couriers as Royal Mail has such sticky fingers!
Please do not tar all people who work for Royal Mail with the same brush. There are many Honest people who work for the company and Many who would report thier own friends if they thought they were stealing from peopoles mail.

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disgruntled, hove says...
6:31pm Fri 4 Jul 08

During the last 8 months I have had a lot fo mail go missing. I posted railway tickets to some elderly people, I posted 2 birthday cards, I posted a cheque, I sent a letter...and not one of them got there. I have always thought that the Royal Mail were the very best, but now they are becoming like postal services in parts of Africa..corrupt.
Tainting the good ones who do not fall into this category.

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Jan, Hove says...
12:46pm Mon 7 Jul 08

JD asks how someone with £80k debt was hired by Royal Mail as an investigator. Without condoning his behaviour in a position of trust - the person didn't have the debt when originally employed, it's only the way it gets reported that distorts the real story. Remember that when you read other articles!! The vast majority of people in Royal Mail are very trustworthy and would no more think of stealing than the next person. As this case highlights - theives often get caught and suitably punished.

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Ryan G, London says...
5:05pm Wed 9 Jul 08

What a sensible comment from Jan of Hove. We should be pleased that the 'investigators ARE being investigated' . Congrats to Royal Mail, they caught this guy and are prosecuting him, not sweeping it under the carpet. If he'd been in Govt he'd have got a promotion

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simon, says...
12:06am Thu 10 Jul 08

not happy wrote:
as somebody who runs an ecommerce company I\\\\\\\'ve lost so much mail in the last 12 months that it\\\\\\\'s been a struggle to stay afloat. I\\\\\\\'ve complained to royal mail a number of occassions only to be told that because royal mail handle the collection of the mail and the delivery, but not exclusively the bit in the middle, that other companies may be responsible for my mail going missing. while I\\\\\\\'m being fobbed off with that BS from royal mail the very people who are meant to get to the bottom of the problem have their own hands in the till! It\\\\\\\'s honestly beyond belief
I think you might have that wrong!! If you go with Royal mail from the collection they will handle it right through.. And your very complaint IS exactly what you will get if our postal system is privatised!!!! ie one blameing the other for their slack efforts ie "we didnt collect" or " we didnt sort" or "We not responsible for delivery"!!!!! BE WARNED!! I know you wont... XXX

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