A POSTMAN has been jailed after he was caught stealing mail and selling some of the contents on eBay.

Andrew Spragg, 37, was caught after Royal Mail investigators found more than 400 packages, some open and with their contents missing, at his home in Wythenshawe. Manchester city magistrates were told the father-of-two had begun taking postal bags home while making collections.

But the situation began to `spiral out of control' as the packages mounted up - and he began selling some of the contents on the auction website. Royal Mail customers were left waiting for deliveries because Spragg, of Lulworth Gardens, Baguley, had them.

Elizabeth Rigby, prosecuting, said Royal Mail began investigating after nine `redirection bags' containing packages were found in pillar boxes across Wythenshawe. A complaint was also made by a woman who said a DVD order had not arrived.

Investigators found that items were being sold via Spragg's eBay account.

They went to his house and found 417 sealed packages, four open packages with their contents inside and seven open with their contents missing.

Mrs Rigby said: "It was put to him the items were stolen. They included DVDs, CDs, a book and a shirt. He said nothing over that. He said he hadn't opened any packages and one package had been damaged by accident."

Spragg admitted three counts of theft and one count of delaying 400 postal packages.

The thefts, which took place between January and March, included five packages containing DVDs, a CD, a Nintendo Wii game and a soft toy.

He also stole nine packets and nine bags belonging to Royal Mail, and another 22 packages and their contents.

He asked for one offence to be considered of stealing a £24 pair of Royal Mail shoes and selling them on eBay.

Michelle Denney, from Tranters Solicitors, defending, said: "He didn't set out to commit these offences. He didn't intend to take items from Royal Mail with the intention of putting them on eBay. The fact he had so many packages supports the contention that it was getting out of control." She said the former mental health nurse was suffering sleep-deprivation because of his new-born baby.

He also had a drink problem and had been taking medication for mental health problems.

Spragg was sentenced to three months' jail for each of the four offences to run consecutively - a total of 12 months.There were no costs or compensation. Magistrates gave him credit for guilty pleas.

Chairman Marie Cash told Spragg the thefts were `very, very serious offences', which had caused Royal Mail customers `alarm and distress'.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We have a zero-tolerance approach and will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority who abuse positions of trust."