Postman who torched mail walks free

July 08, 2009

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Aaron Heaney now plans to join the Army

A POSTMAN who set fire to hundreds of letters because he was too hungover to deliver them has been spared jail.

Aaron Heaney, 20, of Croydon Avenue, Castleton, torched up to 400 letters and packages on Syke Moor near Rochdale in March because he was too afraid to tell bosses he had failed to do his round.

He was he was sentenced at Manchester Magistrates Court to three months in jail, suspended for a year, after pleading guilty to charges of diversion and destruction of post.

He was also ordered to do 200 hours community service and to pay £160 compensation to the Post Office, plus £100 costs.

Gastric condition

During the hearing, his solicitor, Emily Lomax, said Heaney had committed a 'monumental error of judgement'.

She claimed that he had drunk only 'two to four' pints the night before he failed to deliver the mail, and was actually suffering from a 'gastric condition' he was too nervous to tell bosses about.

He had intended to deliver it the following Monday, she claimed, but his plan fell apart after he was allocated the round.

Then, out of 'rank stupidity', 'cowardice' and 'panic', he burned the mail on the moor, where a passer-by found it in a charred and sodden state.

When Royal Mail investigators searched his car they found 85 packages dating back to the New Year, including special delivery and recorded delivery mail that he had stashed in his glove compartment.

Mr Heaney now intends to join the army, Ms Lomax said, adding that she believed it would give him some 'backbone'.

Hungover postman torched letters

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Bigkecks (08/07/2009 at 17:50)

Brilliant

Well done,

Send out the message that you can do whatever you want and there are ano repecussions

castleton resident, castleton (08/07/2009 at 17:58)

letters and packages dating back to the new year , the letters he burnt were from 28 march, he only gets a suspended sentence and fined with community service the judge was too lenient he obviously been doing this for at least 3 month before he was caught. Should have recieved a prison sentence not a suspended one.

castleton resident, castleton (08/07/2009 at 17:59)

absolute joke of a sentence

Ace , manchester (08/07/2009 at 18:03)

The sooner we get a government with some bloody back bone the better,We have pensioners fighting robbers ect,we have police with their hands tied with"PC" Its time to call it a day with all this PC and easy on the criminals.Sick of hearing it day in and day out,something has to be done.

Esso Blue. G. Barry, Roque Santa Cruz.It's a Done Deal. Next, Manchester (08/07/2009 at 18:16)

Fiery head fires mail .Too hung over to deliver but has the energy to set the stuff a-light. Even had three month old packages in the car, that is one long hangover.

fredex3062, stretford (08/07/2009 at 18:18)

can you imagine him in army, your surrounded by terrorists and he says "i was to hung over to bring any ammo"

Guten Tag, Manchester (08/07/2009 at 18:37)

"Mr Heaney now intends to join the army". WHAT?? I sincerely hope he's rejected (which I believe he will be having received a (suspended) jail sentence). If he wanted a 'backbone', he should have done the job he was paid to do in the first place. I suspect he used the 'Army' card to curry favor with the bench!

StevieP , Bangor (08/07/2009 at 20:10)

" Mr Heaney now intends to join the army ", I hope his Postman doesn't torch his application form.

Angelene19, Manchester (08/07/2009 at 20:22)

I didn't think anyone could join the army if they had a criminal record ?

Mad Welsh Scotsman, Cadishead (08/07/2009 at 21:55)

£160 compensation to the post office, what for? they'd already been paid by the trusting public, It's the public who should get compensated.

Anyone who was expecting a cheque or some goods through the post and didn't receive it should now sue the post office

redfred, manchester (08/07/2009 at 21:55)

so crime does pay if you dont believe ask the judge

sugar n spice, manchester (08/07/2009 at 22:36)

so he is going in the army now is he. well thats nice to know we will have a fine honest man in our armed forces what a joke

castleton resident, castleton (08/07/2009 at 22:57)

How can he say gastric condition have seen him in local pubs downing pints of beer if he hung over his fault pity police never caught him on way to work would have been well over limit never mind 2 or 4 pints more like 10 or 12 still next time he drink that much gonna phone the police n report him for drink driving will only take police a couple of hours to turn up.

laural hardy (09/07/2009 at 00:57)

i think the postmen today are lazy and a complete joke.they get paid to much to do nothing.royal mail know this .my postman drops my mail off when he rolls outta bed anytime upto 3pm, i get my first class mail haha hate to see 2nd class.or mail has gone missing and also opened.so whats that telling you.this is something thats happen everywhere and needs to be sorted.they need tougher sentences. thats why they do what they do they get away with it.

laural hardy (09/07/2009 at 01:12)

i think its a disgrace that this postman can walk free after breaking the law, now i always thought that if you break the law you get punished but the message that is being sent today is that you can do what you want and nothing will come of it.maybe if the goverment build some new prisons they wouldnt have to worry about overcrowding and would put idiots like this behind bars instead of letting them walk free because they have no room for them.

mancyank , Pennsylvania USA (09/07/2009 at 03:35)

Emily Lomax said he is going to join the army and that she believed it would give him a backbone. Well! Emily I think you should go and seek out the wizard of OZ and see if he can fit you with a new BRAIN!

Maynard Kitchener Lampwick Manchester , (09/07/2009 at 04:41)

Looks as though he had a top Barrister.....

waywardweastie (09/07/2009 at 04:57)

Never heard of a shredder?
Gormless get!

nicked-name, greater manchester (09/07/2009 at 08:43)

the army would not touch this person with a barge pole

Rammylad (09/07/2009 at 08:48)

Absolute joke of a sentence. Although front line army sounds good, let him take a bullet in the buttock that will be suitable punishment.

belinda ashcroft (09/07/2009 at 08:53)

I honestly feel he hasn't been punished enough! In America, if anyone tampers with the mail it is a minium 25 year jail sentence! As i was affected by this as it was my post that this man had burnt i feel we need to set an example so this type of thing doesn't happen again. Our justice system is too lenient and we need to change this. Also since this incident with Royal Mail there have been several birthday cards that i haven't received and one actually had money in it! Royal Mail also need to get their act together and start employing trustworthy people!!
Miss B Ashcroft, Middleton

J. Peasmold Gruntfuttock, King of Peasmouldia (09/07/2009 at 08:53)

Not surprising to hear that the real victims are not compensated, and the great British public get another bargain of a lifetime service.

nyb, ex manc (09/07/2009 at 09:00)

"he had drunk only 'two to four' pints the night before he failed to deliver the mail"

Oh yeah! and the rest.

Tampering with mail used to be a very serious offence, and rightly so. This case and other similar ones recently, send out the message that no one gives a s**t anymore about the mail. The Government, courts and Royal mail are all guilty of reducing a once respected service to a "fly by night" shambolic business which employs casuals, temps and wasters.

Mr Sarcastic, salford (09/07/2009 at 09:10)

Yet another joke sentence. Was the judge swayed by his claims he wants to join the Army he is aware its part of the job you have to get out of bed in the morning when you join up.

Bury Pensioner., Bury. (09/07/2009 at 09:27)

£160 compensation to the Post Office! is that all? When are we going to get some Magistrates who are not afraid to do the job?

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