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Mail astray

LONDON: A teenage mailman who hoarded thousands of letters and parcels at his home was jailed for four months on Friday.

Christopher Meek, 19, admitted hoarding 13,819 postal items, saying he had taken them home because his mailbag was too heavy. He was arrested in December after the Royal Mail received complaints from people who had not received their Christmas gifts.

He opened more than 1,400 of the items and stole the contents, including compact disks and DVDs, jewellery and gift vouchers. He denied any wrongdoing, saying the work was too heavy and he had always intended to return the stuff. But he admitted spending the money he had stolen and giving other items away.

Meek's lawyer said his client, short and slight as he was, had struggled to carry his mailbag and had taken the items home to deliver later, but the situation got out of control. The Magistrate told Meek he had "brought unhappiness to a lot of people." — AP

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