Karl Forrest: Former postman who stole cash and gift cards sentenced

A search uncovered £6,360 at Karl Forrest's home, as well as money from other currencies

A former postman from Limavady who admitted stealing cash and gift cards worth £11,500 over a six-year period has been given a 12-month sentence.

Karl Forrest, 42, from Meadowvale Park, pleaded guilty to 10 charges - three of theft and seven of committing fraud by false representation.

The incidents happened between 1 January 2013 and 7 August 2019.

During a search of Forrest's home, money and gift cards were found behind a freezer.

Royal Mail Security staff uncovered £6,360, €1,390, US$300, A$50, 100 Polish zlotys, two commemorative coins and 85 gift cards.

Sentencing had been adjourned to allow time for various medical and psychiatric reports to be prepared, and on Monday, a consultant psychiatrist said he had diagnosed "impulse control disorder", otherwise known as kleptomania.

He also testified that it was "unique" to both his experience and research he had conducted that compared to other diagnosed kleptomaniacs, Forrest had gained the same "buzz" from both the thefts themselves and by "monetising" items he had taken such as the gift cards.

A judge described to Antrim Crown Court how Forrest had been working as a postman in his home town when Royal Mail managers became suspicious "that the defendant might be interfering with the mail".

Conducting an "integrity test," they placed a card, with £10 inside and addressed to outside Forrest's postal area, into a mail sorting tray and noted that he took the card.

When he came back on duty, Forrest was confronted and confessed.

An initial search of Forrest uncovered the cash from inside the decoy card, along with a stick of glue which he admitted he used to reseal the envelopes he opened.

His home was later searched.

As well as the discovery of the cash and gift cards behind the freezer, investigations surrounding the gift cards revealed that Forrest had used the stolen cards at a range of shops.

In total, the court heard Forrest benefitted to the tune of £11,500, all of which had been repaid.

The judge said that while he was satisfied that Forrest "does suffer from impulse control disorder" which, along with his guilty pleas and clear record, were mitigating features, he said there were multiple aggravating factors including the "significant breach of trust," the protracted period of the frauds and the "impact of the offences on the public and public confidence".

One example which was "particularly mean," the judge said, was "the elderly grandparent sending a small amount of money to a grandchild, that's the trust that is reposed in the postal services and it is for that reason that there's a significant degree of breach of trust".

The judge ordered Forrest to serve half his sentence in jail and half under supervised licence conditions.