Postman convicted – 14,000 items not delivered: “Overwhelmed”

Delivering RSa and RSb letters – also called authority letters – is legally an official activity, prosecutor Francesco Obermaier said on Wednesday during the trial at the regional court, explaining why the accused former postman is accused of abuse of office. Moreover, because he failed to deliver these letters – as well as 14,000 other pieces of mail – between June 2022 and April 2023, he violated the rights of 263 people. The judge explained what exactly this meant using two examples: An affected person received no information about his upcoming construction negotiations. And another did not receive a letter acknowledging paternity. “You can see that this has consequences,” the judge said to the suspect.

The previously blameless man worked at the post office in Flachgau for more than ten years. The transfer to another area, combined with a lack of staff and sick leave, worsened working conditions: “When I came back from vacation, there were 50 boxes full of letters. It became more and more. I also complained.” But it didn’t help, as his defender Markus Kobler explained: “The pressure was enormous. He has two children and therefore couldn’t just leave. His last resort was to put the letters in the car, in his own apartment, in the safe.

There were also personal problems such as divorce and alcohol addiction. After a few weeks of addiction care, he wants to go back to work in November: “I’m very sorry about the whole thing.” The judge emphasized: “I think they were sorry and they were overwhelmed.” That’s why she said she announced a “very mild” sentence: ten months in prison with probation.