Coventry postman stole letters containing bank cards - The Coventry Observer

Coventry postman stole letters containing bank cards

Coventry Editorial 26th Jul, 2019 Updated: 26th Jul, 2019   0

A Coventry postman stole letters containing bank cards and pin numbers and passed them to other people who used them to obtain more than £8,000 worth of cash and goods.

But suspicion quickly fell on Shingai Manungo – because he was the only postman on the walk which covered both of the addresses to which the cards had been sent.

And at Warwick Crown Court he pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and two of supplying articles for use in fraud.

Manungo (24) of The Moorfield, Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months and was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.




And after hearing that the prosecution had been brought by the Post Office, Judge Peter Cooke ordered Manungo to pay £1,200 of the Post Office’s £8,000 costs.

Prosecutor Andrew Parker said Manungo had worked as a ‘postal operative’ between April and December 2017, with a delivery ‘walk’ in the CV2 area of the city.


In a period between June and October a number of debit cards were being reported not to have been delivered to addresses in that area.

A Post Office investigation showed Manungo was the only postman to be making deliveries in the relevant area at the time, so he was confronted when he turned up for work on November 23.

He denied being responsible, but it was pointed out to him he was the only possible source for the cards, two of which had then been used for purchases and withdrawals totalling £8,597.

And on his phone, which he handed over, were images which included the two cards.

Mr Parker added that Manungo had signed a release for his pension contributions, although they amount to just £134 which the judge said should go towards paying the costs.

John O’Higgins, defending, said: “Unlike many defendants who appear before the courts, this defendant is genuinely contrite.

“What caused this was his involvement with class A drugs, and he was put under pressure by others to steal these two packets and supply the contents to those criminals.”

Mr O’Higgins pointed out that offences took place about two years ago, and Manungo had not committed any offences before or since then.

“He has changed his life. He is completely off drugs, and has been for over a year. He has a number of GCSEs and is applying to go to university,” he added.

Sentencing Manungo, Judge Cooke told him: “You were working as a Post Office employee, a postman, and in the course of that employment, because you had got yourself a drug debt, you helped yourself to customers’ cards and pin numbers.

“You passed them on to more unscrupulous individuals who went on to commit frauds with those bank cards to the tune of eight-and-a-half thousand pounds.

“In the case of a postman stealing bank cards from members of the public, that really does undermine confidence in a public service.

“But these are your very first offences, and I suspect and hope they will be your last. You have done a great deal already to mend your ways.”

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