'Compulsive' French postman found guilty of stealing 13,000 letters

A French court has delivered a six-month suspended sentence to a “compulsive” postman who stole some 13,000 letters and stored them secretly in his attic for more than a decade. His employer, La Poste, has agreed to return all the stolen letters, the oldest of which dates back to 2001. After years under suspicion, the unnamed postal worker was caught red-handed in 2011 when La Poste laid a trap by planting a letter filled with a powder that stained his hands and clothes.

He told police he was attracted by the colour and shape of certain letters, like a magpie drawn towards shiny objects.

David Jeanmaire, defence lawyer

Police found his haul after searching his home: 13,694 letters – many of which were never opened – and some 6,000 postcards. Since 1790, postal workers in France have taken an oath to scrupulously protect the items they carry and the secrecy of correspondence. In December, more than 23,500 undelivered letters were found in the home of a postwoman in Gironde in the Bordeaux region. She is currently facing trial.

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