Postman kept 12 sacks of people's mail in his loft for eight months

A postman hid 12 sacks of mail, including some 4,000 letters and parcels, in his loft. Jason Cooper admitted to opening some of the parcels but said he did not remove any of the contents.

Opened parcels were found scattered across the eaves of the loft when police raided his home in 2022. Cooper, who worked across Hartlepool and Stockton areas, claimed he had "too much to deliver", and was overworked.

The dad-of-three faced Teesside Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, October 7. Cooper, 30, had previously entered a guilty plea for delaying the delivery of mail and opening mail from 2017 to 2022, just before he was due to stand trial.

The court was told that in 2022, a workman who was called out to Cooper's address, saw the sacks of mail in his loft. The man took photos before asking Cooper about what he had seen. Cooper told the workman that he "didn't know anything about it" before asking, "should I get rid of it?"

Cooper failed to deliver some 4,000 items, including letters, parcels, and leaflets, among them 613 "door-to-door" items which earn the Post Office receives additional money to deliver. Cooper would have been paid extra for the delivery of these, reports Teesside Live.

The Middlesbrough court heard that the undelivered mail, now covered in dust, had been in the loft for eight months. The neglected post had been sent between 2020 and 2021. After moving from Hartlepool to Billingham, Cooper had taken the undelivered sacks with him.

The workman reported what he had seen to the police, and they searched Cooper's home. Although some parcels and letters had been opened, bank cards were left untouched, inside.

When he was arrested and interviewed by the police, Cooper said he had been given "too many bags to