An Aberdeen Royal Mail boss has admitted stealing hundreds of customers’ cash-filled letters for almost four years – and blamed the stresses of work for his crimes.
Steven Dalgarno, a manager at the Kittybrewster Sorting Office, said he “couldn’t cope” with meeting targets and so binned letters and took the cash rather than send them out for delivery.
When police searched the 35-year-old’s home they found a stash of opened letters as well as thousands of pounds worth of euros and other foreign currency in his loft.
The dad-of-one today pleaded guilty at Aberdeen Sheriff Court of stealing mail between January 1 2017 and December 23 last year.
Fiscal depute David Rogers said on December 23 last year police visited the Ashgrove Road sorting office due to reports of missing letters by members of the public.
He said: “They spoke to the manager, who was the accused, and attempted to explain what might have gone wrong with the tracking numbers.”
He has expressed great shame
When confronted, he owned up immediately, the court was told.
Mr Rogers said: “The accused stated that he had disposed of the majority of these letters by throwing them in the bin.
“However, any letters that he believed to contain money he opened and kept.”
A search of Dalgarno’s home address revealed that he had kept €1,875, $100 and £40 in cash along with a Next gift card in a drawer in his loft.
Reading from a criminal justice social work report into the background of the offence, Sheriff David Hall said “the impression one gleans from the report was a situation where Mr Dalgarno couldn’t cope and basically dumped the mail”.
Defence agent Christopher Maitland agreed, adding: “He accepts that instead of going to the police or Royal Mail about it, he just kept what was there.
“He accepts that it was wrong and takes this to a level more serious than it might have been.
“But he was the one who owned up to this and, at that point, he felt that a great weight had been lifted.
“He knew the longer it went on for, the worse it was going to get.
“Mr Dalgarno has expressed deep regret and shame at his own actions.”
‘A gross breach of trust’
Sheriff Hall, who described the offence as an “extremely serious matter, told Dalgarno: “This is a gross breach of trust by you as an employee to your employer.
“The inconvenience and angst caused to those people who did not receive their mail must’ve been extremely great.
“However, you appear in front of me as a first offender and you plead guilty at the first opportunity.
“You owned up to this matter and you are entitled to some credit for that.”
Sheriff Hall sentenced Dalgarno, of Caiesdykes Drive, Aberdeen, to an 18-month community payback order and a two-month restriction of liberty order.
He also ordered Dalgarno to carry out 160 hours unpaid work.
Royal Mail declined to comment.
