Royal Mail postman charged over 70,000 missing letters

A former Royal Mail postman has been charged over almost 70,000 letters and packages going missing in the post in the Ipswich area.

A former Royal Mail postman has been charged over almost 70,000 letters and packages going missing in the post in the Ipswich area.

Over a four-and-a-half year period wedding invitations, credit card statements, solicitors’ letters and a confirmation of a place to study at Cambridge University disappeared.

Richard Appleby, 36, is accused of stealing 916 postal packages belonging to Royal Mail.

He is also charged of breaching his duty by delaying 61,497 addressed postal packages and a further 6,874 items of junk mail.

Appleby, who lives in Ipswich, was arrested in November on suspicion of theft and following a three-month inquiry by Royal Mail investigators, he was charged on 16 February.

He is accused of stealing the post between April 19, 2004 and November 7, 2008 and is due to appear before South East Suffolk magistrates next week.

No value has been put on the items allegedly stolen.

Many of the packages have now been returned to people living in the Purdis Farm Lane and Bucklesham Road areas of Ipswich.

Separately, police have found more than 10,000 items of suspected stolen mail hidden in a garage in 76 Royal Mail delivery sacks and 58 binliners.

Valuable parcels are thought to have been among the haul found in Basildon, Essex.

Royal Mail would not confirm if anyone had been sacked or suspended.
A spokesman said: “Following the recovery of a quantity of allegedly delayed mail at an address in Basildon we are investigating allegations against a former employee.”