Latest news with #AnPost
Irish Times
21 hours ago
- Irish Times
Postman opened cards in search of money to pay off loan shark debt, court hears
A former An Post employee who removed cash from cards and letters in a bid to repay loan sharks who threatened to burn down his house has received a fully suspended prison sentence. Michael Ryan, of Ross Street, Killavullen, Co Cork appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Monday for sentencing. His offending behaviour mainly involved the opening of greeting cards and letters in the hope that they continued money. The 39-year-old had been remanded in custody on June 20th last for sentencing. READ MORE Garda Eoin O'Callaghan said the offending occurred from October 24th, 2023 to November 18th, 2023. Garda O'Callaghan told Judge Helen Boyle it was difficult to put a figure on the total financial loss. He indicated that many of the envelopes which were opened by Mr Ryan were bright and colourful and looked like they contained greeting cards. Mr Ryan co-operated fully with the Garda investigation into the matter. He also wrote a letter of apology to the court. Defence barrister Emmet Boyle said his client was hugely remorseful for his behaviour. 'He is deeply sorry and disgusted with himself for ruining a fine job that he had at this time,' he said. Mr Boyle said the accused had borrowed €3,000 from a loan shark, with his debt soon doubling to €6,000. He stated that Mr Ryan was warned that if he did not pay his debt, his house would be burned down. Judge Helen Boyle said Mr Ryan had breached the trust of both his employer and the public. She emphasised that the public depends on the honesty with which the postal service operates. She said Mr Ryan had brought shame on himself while suffering the loss of a good job arising out of his offending behaviour. Judge Boyle commended gardaí and An Post for their quick response after members of the public noticed that cards containing cash and vouchers were not reaching their destination. Two items were put in the post as a test. Mr Ryan was caught on CCTV at a sorting office removing the items and bringing them to his car. He had opened some 140 coloured cards and 77 commercial letters. Judge Boyle said that, generally, older people send cash and vouchers in the post as gifts for loved ones. 'They are entitled to not have them interfered with and for them to arrive intact,' she said. She noted the guilty plea, the full admissions on arrest, the remorse of the accused and his mental health difficulties, before sentencing him to 27 months in prison, which she fully suspended. Mr Ryan was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service. He had pleaded guilty to theft of post at the A Post delivery service unit at Carrignaroher, Fermoy, Co Cork and to related charges of possessing stolen post and interference with post.
BreakingNews.ie
21 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former An Post employee (39) stole cash from cards to pay loan shark, court hears
A former An Post employee who removed cash from cards and letters in a bid to repay loan sharks who threatened to burn down his house has received a fully suspended prison sentence. Michael Ryan of Ross Street, Killavullen, Co Cork, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Monday for sentencing. Advertisement His offending behaviour mainly involved the opening of greeting cards and letters in the hope that they continued money. The 39-year-old had been remanded in custody on June 20th last for sentencing on Monday. Garda Eoin O'Callaghan said the offending occurred from October 24th, 2023, to November 18th, 2023. Garda O'Callaghan told Judge Helen Boyle that it was difficult to put a figure on the total financial loss. He indicated that many of the envelopes which were opened by Mr Ryan were bright and colourful and looked like they contained greeting cards. Advertisement Mr Ryan co operated fully with the garda investigation in to the matter. He also wrote a letter of apology to the court. Defence barrister Emmet Boyle said that his client was hugely remorseful for his behaviour. 'He (Mr Ryan) is deeply sorry and disgusted with himself for ruining a fine job that he had at this time.' Mr Boyle said that the accused had borrowed €3,000 from a loan shark with his debt soon doubling to €6,000. He stated that Mr Ryan was warned that if he didn't pay his debt his house would be burned down. Advertisement Judge Helen Boyle said that Mr Ryan had breached the trust of both his employer and the public. She emphasised that the public depends on the honesty with which the postal service operates. She said that Mr Ryan had brought shame on himself and his family whilst suffering the loss of a good job arising out of his offending behaviour. Judge Boyle commended gardaí and An Post for their quick response after members of the public noticed that cards containing cash and vouchers were not reaching their destination. Two items were put in the post as a test. Mr Ryan was caught on CCTV at a sorting office removing the items and bringing them to his car. Advertisement Mr Ryan had opened some 140 coloured cards and 77 commercial letters over the course of his offending behaviour Ireland Microsoft making billions from alleged unlawful pr... Read More Judge Boyle said that generally older people send cash and vouchers in the post as gifts for their loved ones. 'They are entitled to not have them interfered with and for them to arrive intact.' She noted the guilty plea, the full admissions on arrest, the remorse of the accused and his mental health difficulties, before sentencing him to 27 months in prison which she fully suspended. Mr Ryan was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service. Mr Ryan had pleaded guilty to theft of post at the An Post delivery service unit at Carrignaroher, Fermoy, Co Cork, and to related charges fo possessing stolen post and interference with post.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Lighten Up: How I saved the day at the wedding of the century
I'm only just back from the Jeff Bezos wedding and have a head up on me like a fellow who spent the weekend in Lisdoonvarna. Craic? You have no idea. Drink? It flowed like cow's milk. The invitation came late. It got lost in the post, I'm told, and this is something I will have to bring up with An Post at a later date. This invitation was the most important thing to come through my letterbox in years. And I was damned if I was going to lose out. Anyhow, because I was invited at the last moment, sure I didn't have a suit lined up or anything. "Come as you are!" Jeff shouts down the line. "The party has begun already." He was on his boat at that stage, in the outskirts of Venice, I was only catching the ferry. I was a long ways from Venice, and Jeff was a long ways from Rosslare. I got there eventually, and Jeff was in his element. "Did you bring the ring?" he asked excitedly. "Of course I did," says I, and I showed him the one I had purchased from one of Cork's finest jewellers. "Boy golly," says he, "tis a right sparkler. My missus will love it. "I'll pay you later," he quipped, before grabbing the ring and putting it in his pocket. Tis no wonder he's one richest men in the world with this 'I'll pay you later' malarky. Anyhow, onto his boat we got, and I met all the glamorous people of the world. Dignitaries from across the globe and a few farmers too, soon I was feeling right at home. Shortly after this, the priest climbed on board. I hauled up his truck of tricks, containing his vestments and so on. I did all this, for nobody else could be bothered. Soon, Mass got under way, and by the time we got to the wedding ceremony bit, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. And this wasn't because of tears. No, It was only because the sea had gotten very rough and water was coming on board by the new time. T'was like standing beside a busy sheep-dipping tank, only without the smell. The man steering the ship had seen better days too, and was in dire need of a rest, so I took charge of the vessel and quickly steered her into less choppy waters. A fancy yacht is no different from a Massey or a Zetor. Once you know where the handbrake is, you're away. The boat was also in dire need of an oil and filter change too and many nipples also needed greasing. And I did all this in my spare time. In due course, the priest blessed the happy couple. The ring was found, confetti was flung, and soon we were all dancing merrily and drinking solidly. And because I had found such a fine, calm patch in which to drop anchor, very few on board were sick like dogs. "Denny boy," says Jeff at the end of the night, with a tear in his eye, "I don't think I could have done it without you." "Of course you couldn't," says I, "For you don't know the first thing about steering a ship in choppy waters. Being a farmer from West Cork prepares you for every eventuality," I told the billionaire. Oh I only wish I were a farmer from west Cork," he then sobbed, "And not one of the richest men in the world." "Well, you can't have everything Jeff," I stressed before steering the ship back to the quayside, rounding off the wedding of the century to perfection. Read More Auld Lehane is looking forward to the wedding of the year in Venice
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major social welfare warning as hundreds set to be impacted by closure of An Post office in tiny Irish village
A MAJOR warning has been issued for hundreds of social welfare recipients who are set to be affected by a change in their collection process. The Advertisement This means that from July 11 onwards, the social welfare recipients will be unable to collect their payments at the post office. Those receiving payments must receive them from A customer notice issued by the post office reads: "Leenane Post Office will permanently close on Friday 11th July 2025 at 15:00. "All DSP payments will be available at Letterfrack Post Office, The Country Store, Letterfrack from Monday 14th July 2025. Advertisement READ MORE ON MONEY "All other Post Office services are available at Letterfrack Post Office or from a Post Office of your choice. "An Post would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their continued support." However, Bus Eireann offers bus services between Letterfrack and Leenane, but only comes every two hours, meaning recipients would have to wait for nearly two hours until their next bus home. Advertisement Most read in Money The permanent closure is due to the Postmaster in Leenane is leaving the business and it has been unable to find another contractor, Galway Bay FM reports. Jack Chambers confirms €125 increase in Earned Income Credit It was revealed that An Post hopes to provide a Postpoint terminal at the local shop in the area, which will provide some level of service around NEW CHILD BENEFIT PAYMENT Meanwhile, Dara Calleary has confirmed his department is "working on" a targeted However, he warned that an "unintended consequence" of a Advertisement The When asked by Independent TD He added: "That is why the programme for Government includes a range of measures to support children and their families. "One such commitment is to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports to reduce child poverty. Advertisement "Existing supports include the The 1 Social welfare recipients have been warned over the closure of the post office Credit: Getty
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland TV licence loophole means some don't have to pay €160 fee in 2025
Most people in Ireland know the rule - if there's a TV in your home or business, you're legally required to pay the €160 annual licence fee, regardless of how you use the device. Whether you're bingeing Netflix, playing video games or even if your television is broken and collecting dust, you're still expected to pay if the equipment is capable of receiving a broadcast signal. Fines of up to €1,000 can be issued to anyone caught without a valid licence. One licence covers an entire home or premises, even if there are multiple TVs. First-time purchases can be made at an An Post office, online or over the phone, and it must be renewed every 12 months. But not everyone has to pay. Thanks to a lesser-known exemption, some people in Ireland can legally avoid the fee in 2025 - and many may not even realise they qualify. The key to this exemption is the Household Benefits Package (HBP), a government support scheme that helps with the cost of household bills, such as electricity and gas. If you're approved for the HBP, you may also be entitled to a free TV licence. To qualify for the HBP and the free TV licence, you must meet specific criteria: Anyone aged under 70 and living with a spouse, cohabitant or civil partner can get the HBP if they are in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, and other factors apply. In order to get the HBP, they must be getting an increase in their qualifying social welfare payment for their partner/cohabitant, or they are getting their own qualifying social welfare payment, or they are getting a social welfare payment not listed below and they satisfy a means test. They can also live with other adults who are not their spouse, cohabitant or civil partner and still get the HBP. The following social welfare payments will qualify those under 70 for the HBP. For those aged between 66 and 70 and not getting a qualifying social welfare payment, they must pass a means test. In a means test, the Department of Social Protection examines all their sources of income. The person's weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test. The amount of means that they are allowed to have for the HBP is the current maximum rate of State Pension, including any increases that they might get for their age, living alone and dependants, plus €200. The main items included in the means test are: If you believe you meet the criteria, you can apply online at or download and post the application form for the Household Benefits Package. With the cost of living crisis ongoing, it's worth checking if you qualify because this little-known exemption could save you €160 in 2025.
