A Royal Mail Postman has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service after being caught opening children’s birthday cards in the hope of finding money.
The Londonderry Postman, Brendan Taggart, from Sevenoaks in the Waterside, kept undelivered mail in the back of his car for more than two months.
Taggart admitted to the charges for interfacing with and delaying the delivery of post at the city magistrates court on Thursday 8th July.
He also pleaded guilty to two charges of opening children’s birthday cards.
The offences were committed between May and August 2006 after Taggart’s (24) car was set on fire in an arson attack at Norburgh Park Foyle Springs in the city. The car was found to contain bundles of undelivered mail.
The police found the mail bags and reported the situation to the Royal Mail management at the sorting office in Derry.
Taggart made admissions when he was questioned by his superior officers.
The Royal Mail fired Taggart as a result of his actions. The District Judge sentenced him to a four-months in jail and suspended for three years, saying that no one would ever know the disruption Taggart had caused to people’s lives.
