Nwicker60
16-Aug-11, 18:22
Security was lax at two
sub-post-offices raided
TWO sub-post-offices, raided by thieves,didn’t have proper
security, a jury heard today.
Both premises, at Duncanston, in the Black Isle and at the Morayshire
community of Archiestown, had no alarms or CCTV, it was stated. A
window had been left open at the former and there was evidence to
suggest that the thieves might have struck lucky and got hold of the
keys to the safe in the latter premises.
Accused of the robberies are Englishmen John Hind (54), from Colne in
Lancashire and Matthew Peters (40) from Bournemouth. They deny breaking
into the two sub-post offices and eleven other premises, mainly post
offices in the Highlands and northeast of Scotland, and stealing cash
totalling £34,497 and stock amounting to £10,508. The pair have also
pleaded not guilty, at Wick Sheriff Court to stealing a car and using it to assault police
officer Andrew Cooper to the danger of his life while he was signalling
them to stop on the A830 Ft William to Mallaig road. The offences
occurred between July 27 and October 11, 2007.
Mrs Mary Finlayson, postmistress at Duncanston rose on September 18,
2007- and realised something was amiss after her husband discovered his
wallet lying open, in the living accommodation of the building which
had a connecting door to the post office.
Mr Finlayson was under the misapprehension, initially, that his wife
had borrowed some of his money but Mrs Finlayson then found that the
door to the commercial part of the building was open and realised
“something was wrong.”
The couple discovered that the bell above the door signalling entry and
exit had been removed, a drawer was open and £939 in notes and coins
was missing. Mrs Finlayson (66) said that because the money had not
been put in the safe, in her house overnight, in accordance with
regulations, she had had to pay the post office £500 of it. Her
jewellery box was lying open but none of the contents had been taken
because “none of them were valuable”. The safe was, however, “completely hidden”
...in a cupboard under the stairs in the private accommodation and had not
been interfered with.
Cross-examined by QC Jonathan Crow, for Hind, Mrs Finlayson said that
after the post office had been locked the previous night she had left
the keys in the inside lock. She thought entry to the premises would
have been gained through a window left open in the utility room to
disperse the smell of something she had been frying.
Mr Crow suggested that because several kitchen items, sitting on the
worktop, had not been disturbed, the window had not been the entry
point.
Mrs Finlayson disagreed, however and felt there was still sufficient
room to enter, although conceding it would have been difficult.
Five thousand pounds in cash was stolen from a safe in the raid on the Archiestown
sub-post-office which incorporates a shop and also has a connecting
door to the private accommodation.
Sub-postmistress, Doreen Aldridge found a box, on October 9, 2007,
which should have been in the safe, but was lying on the floor of the post office.
She opened the safe to find it empty.
Gone was the money and stock including postal orders. In addition, her
handbag containing £100 in cash had also been taken, from the kitchen.
There were two sets of keys to the safe, said Mrs Aldridge. One set
was found outside at the back of the building after the robbery, the
other set was normally kept in a drawer in their private accommodation
but she could say for certain whether that had been the practice when
the premises were locked up, the previous night.
Mrs Aldridge (65) discounted any possibility of a sneak-in theft, during opening hours.
Her husband, farmer Edward Aldridge, said that he had checked the
premises following the robbery and could find no trace of a forced
entry. The safe was in its usual position, undamaged.
Q.C. Alan Macleod for Peters said: “It is fair to say that the premises
were broken into by some method unknown to you and entry was gained to
the safe but you can’t help us as to how many people were responsible for this
break-in.”
Mr Aldridge replied: “No”.
Part-time post office assistant, Agnes Young said that her usual
practice when she closed up for the day, was to lock the safe and front door and
deposit the keys on the kitchen worktop. However, when she left the
night before the break-in, she wasn't responsible for locking the premises, although adding
“Had there been no-one there, I would have locked up.”
The trial continues.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nwicker60 <Nwicker60@aol.com>
To: pj.editor <pj.editor@ajl.co.uk>
Sent: Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:30
Subject: trial
From Donaldson News: Wick
TWO sub-post-offices, raided by thieves,didn’t have proper
security, a jury heard yesterday (Tuesday)
Both premises, at Duncanston, in the Black Isle and at the Morayshire
community of Archiestown, had no alarms or CCTV, it was stated. A
window had been left open at the former and there was evidence to
suggest that the thieves might have struck lucky and got hold of the
keys to the safe in the latter premises.
Accused of the robberies are Englishmen John Hind (54), from Colne in
Lancashire and Matthew Peters (40) from Bournemouth. They deny breaking
into the two sub-post offices and eleven other premises, mainly post
offices in the Highlands and northeast of Scotland, and stealing cash
totalling £34,497 and stock amounting to £10,508. The pair have also
pleaded not guilty, at Wick Sheriff Court to stealing a car and using it to assault police
officer Andrew Cooper to the danger of his life while he was signalling
them to stop on the A830 Ft William to Mallaig road. The offences
occurred between July 27 and October 11, 2007.
Mrs Mary Finlayson, postmistress at Duncanston rose on September 18,
2007- and realised something was amiss after her husband discovered his
wallet lying open, in the living accommodation of the building which
had a connecting door to the post office.
Mr Finlayson was under the misapprehension, initially, that his wife
had borrowed some of his money but Mrs Finlayson then found that the
door to the commercial part of the building was open and realised
“something was wrong.”
The couple discovered that the bell above the door signalling entry and
exit had been removed, a drawer was open and £939 in notes and coins
was missing. Mrs Finlayson (66) said that because the money had not
been put in the safe, in her house overnight, in accordance with
regulations, she had had to pay the post office £500 of it. Her
jewellery box was lying open but none of the contents had been taken
because “none of them were valuable”. The safe was, however, “completely hidden”
...in a cupboard under the stairs in the private accommodation and had not
been interfered with.
Cross-examined by QC Jonathan Crow, for Hind, Mrs Finlayson said that
after the post office had been locked the previous night she had left
the keys in the inside lock. She thought entry to the premises would
have been gained through a window left open in the utility room to
disperse the smell of something she had been frying.
Mr Crow suggested that because several kitchen items, sitting on the
worktop, had not been disturbed, the window had not been the entry
point.
Mrs Finlayson disagreed, however and felt there was still sufficient
room to enter, although conceding it would have been difficult.
A total of £5000 in cash was stolen in the raid on the Archiestown
sub-post-office which incorporates a shop and also has a connecting
door to the private accommodation.
Sub-postmistress, Doreen Aldridge found a box, on October 9, 2007,
which should have been in the safe, but was lying on the floor of the post office.
She opened the safe to find it empty.
Gone was the money and stock including postal orders. In addition, her
handbag containing £100 in cash had also been taken, from the kitchen.
There were two sets of keys to the safe, said Mrs Aldridge. One set
was found outside at the back of the building after the robbery, the
other set was normally kept in a drawer in their private accommodation
but she could say for certain whether that had been the practice when
the premises were locked up, the previous night.
Mrs Aldridge (65) discounted any possibility of a sneak-in theft, during opening hours.
Her husband, farmer Edward Aldridge, said that he had checked the
premises following the robbery and could find no trace of a forced
entry. The safe was in its usual position, undamaged.
Q.C. Alan Macleod for Peters said: “It is fair to say that the premises
were broken into by some method unknown to you and entry was gained to
the safe but you can’t help us as to how many people were responsible for this
break-in.”
Mr Aldridge replied: “No”.
Part-time post office assistant, Agnes Young said that her usual
practice when she closed up for the day, was to lock the safe and front door and
deposit the keys on the kitchen worktop. However, when she left the
night before the break-in, she wasn't responsible for locking the premises, although adding
“Had there been no-one there, I would have locked up.”
The trial continues.
sub-post-offices raided
TWO sub-post-offices, raided by thieves,didn’t have proper
security, a jury heard today.
Both premises, at Duncanston, in the Black Isle and at the Morayshire
community of Archiestown, had no alarms or CCTV, it was stated. A
window had been left open at the former and there was evidence to
suggest that the thieves might have struck lucky and got hold of the
keys to the safe in the latter premises.
Accused of the robberies are Englishmen John Hind (54), from Colne in
Lancashire and Matthew Peters (40) from Bournemouth. They deny breaking
into the two sub-post offices and eleven other premises, mainly post
offices in the Highlands and northeast of Scotland, and stealing cash
totalling £34,497 and stock amounting to £10,508. The pair have also
pleaded not guilty, at Wick Sheriff Court to stealing a car and using it to assault police
officer Andrew Cooper to the danger of his life while he was signalling
them to stop on the A830 Ft William to Mallaig road. The offences
occurred between July 27 and October 11, 2007.
Mrs Mary Finlayson, postmistress at Duncanston rose on September 18,
2007- and realised something was amiss after her husband discovered his
wallet lying open, in the living accommodation of the building which
had a connecting door to the post office.
Mr Finlayson was under the misapprehension, initially, that his wife
had borrowed some of his money but Mrs Finlayson then found that the
door to the commercial part of the building was open and realised
“something was wrong.”
The couple discovered that the bell above the door signalling entry and
exit had been removed, a drawer was open and £939 in notes and coins
was missing. Mrs Finlayson (66) said that because the money had not
been put in the safe, in her house overnight, in accordance with
regulations, she had had to pay the post office £500 of it. Her
jewellery box was lying open but none of the contents had been taken
because “none of them were valuable”. The safe was, however, “completely hidden”
...in a cupboard under the stairs in the private accommodation and had not
been interfered with.
Cross-examined by QC Jonathan Crow, for Hind, Mrs Finlayson said that
after the post office had been locked the previous night she had left
the keys in the inside lock. She thought entry to the premises would
have been gained through a window left open in the utility room to
disperse the smell of something she had been frying.
Mr Crow suggested that because several kitchen items, sitting on the
worktop, had not been disturbed, the window had not been the entry
point.
Mrs Finlayson disagreed, however and felt there was still sufficient
room to enter, although conceding it would have been difficult.
Five thousand pounds in cash was stolen from a safe in the raid on the Archiestown
sub-post-office which incorporates a shop and also has a connecting
door to the private accommodation.
Sub-postmistress, Doreen Aldridge found a box, on October 9, 2007,
which should have been in the safe, but was lying on the floor of the post office.
She opened the safe to find it empty.
Gone was the money and stock including postal orders. In addition, her
handbag containing £100 in cash had also been taken, from the kitchen.
There were two sets of keys to the safe, said Mrs Aldridge. One set
was found outside at the back of the building after the robbery, the
other set was normally kept in a drawer in their private accommodation
but she could say for certain whether that had been the practice when
the premises were locked up, the previous night.
Mrs Aldridge (65) discounted any possibility of a sneak-in theft, during opening hours.
Her husband, farmer Edward Aldridge, said that he had checked the
premises following the robbery and could find no trace of a forced
entry. The safe was in its usual position, undamaged.
Q.C. Alan Macleod for Peters said: “It is fair to say that the premises
were broken into by some method unknown to you and entry was gained to
the safe but you can’t help us as to how many people were responsible for this
break-in.”
Mr Aldridge replied: “No”.
Part-time post office assistant, Agnes Young said that her usual
practice when she closed up for the day, was to lock the safe and front door and
deposit the keys on the kitchen worktop. However, when she left the
night before the break-in, she wasn't responsible for locking the premises, although adding
“Had there been no-one there, I would have locked up.”
The trial continues.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nwicker60 <Nwicker60@aol.com>
To: pj.editor <pj.editor@ajl.co.uk>
Sent: Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:30
Subject: trial
From Donaldson News: Wick
TWO sub-post-offices, raided by thieves,didn’t have proper
security, a jury heard yesterday (Tuesday)
Both premises, at Duncanston, in the Black Isle and at the Morayshire
community of Archiestown, had no alarms or CCTV, it was stated. A
window had been left open at the former and there was evidence to
suggest that the thieves might have struck lucky and got hold of the
keys to the safe in the latter premises.
Accused of the robberies are Englishmen John Hind (54), from Colne in
Lancashire and Matthew Peters (40) from Bournemouth. They deny breaking
into the two sub-post offices and eleven other premises, mainly post
offices in the Highlands and northeast of Scotland, and stealing cash
totalling £34,497 and stock amounting to £10,508. The pair have also
pleaded not guilty, at Wick Sheriff Court to stealing a car and using it to assault police
officer Andrew Cooper to the danger of his life while he was signalling
them to stop on the A830 Ft William to Mallaig road. The offences
occurred between July 27 and October 11, 2007.
Mrs Mary Finlayson, postmistress at Duncanston rose on September 18,
2007- and realised something was amiss after her husband discovered his
wallet lying open, in the living accommodation of the building which
had a connecting door to the post office.
Mr Finlayson was under the misapprehension, initially, that his wife
had borrowed some of his money but Mrs Finlayson then found that the
door to the commercial part of the building was open and realised
“something was wrong.”
The couple discovered that the bell above the door signalling entry and
exit had been removed, a drawer was open and £939 in notes and coins
was missing. Mrs Finlayson (66) said that because the money had not
been put in the safe, in her house overnight, in accordance with
regulations, she had had to pay the post office £500 of it. Her
jewellery box was lying open but none of the contents had been taken
because “none of them were valuable”. The safe was, however, “completely hidden”
...in a cupboard under the stairs in the private accommodation and had not
been interfered with.
Cross-examined by QC Jonathan Crow, for Hind, Mrs Finlayson said that
after the post office had been locked the previous night she had left
the keys in the inside lock. She thought entry to the premises would
have been gained through a window left open in the utility room to
disperse the smell of something she had been frying.
Mr Crow suggested that because several kitchen items, sitting on the
worktop, had not been disturbed, the window had not been the entry
point.
Mrs Finlayson disagreed, however and felt there was still sufficient
room to enter, although conceding it would have been difficult.
A total of £5000 in cash was stolen in the raid on the Archiestown
sub-post-office which incorporates a shop and also has a connecting
door to the private accommodation.
Sub-postmistress, Doreen Aldridge found a box, on October 9, 2007,
which should have been in the safe, but was lying on the floor of the post office.
She opened the safe to find it empty.
Gone was the money and stock including postal orders. In addition, her
handbag containing £100 in cash had also been taken, from the kitchen.
There were two sets of keys to the safe, said Mrs Aldridge. One set
was found outside at the back of the building after the robbery, the
other set was normally kept in a drawer in their private accommodation
but she could say for certain whether that had been the practice when
the premises were locked up, the previous night.
Mrs Aldridge (65) discounted any possibility of a sneak-in theft, during opening hours.
Her husband, farmer Edward Aldridge, said that he had checked the
premises following the robbery and could find no trace of a forced
entry. The safe was in its usual position, undamaged.
Q.C. Alan Macleod for Peters said: “It is fair to say that the premises
were broken into by some method unknown to you and entry was gained to
the safe but you can’t help us as to how many people were responsible for this
break-in.”
Mr Aldridge replied: “No”.
Part-time post office assistant, Agnes Young said that her usual
practice when she closed up for the day, was to lock the safe and front door and
deposit the keys on the kitchen worktop. However, when she left the
night before the break-in, she wasn't responsible for locking the premises, although adding
“Had there been no-one there, I would have locked up.”
The trial continues.