Judge jails 'disgrace to the community' for nine months

A 29 year-old man who signed for a neighbour’s delivery, stole over £700 of goods then left the delivery man to pay for it out of his wages has been jailed for nine months.

Simon Whiteman of Rossnagalligh appeared via video link from prison before Derry Magistrates Court as he is already a serving prisoner.

He pleaded guilty to stealing £748.85 of goods including an Apple wireless keyboard, two iPad mini smart cases, a camera reader, earphones and other Apple products. The offence took place on dates unknown between December 15, 2013, and January 30, 2014.

The court heard that on December 16 last year, a report was made to police about the theft of two batches of Apple products.

Nightline delivery van was delivering goods to a house but the occupant was not home. Whiteman then told the delivery driver that he would sign for the packages and hold them for his neighbour.

Whiteman signed for the delivery as Christopher Whiteman but when he began to print his name underneath, he began writing an S, the first letter of his own name before amending it to print his brother, Christopher’s name.

The driver returned with more packages for the neighbour and asked him if he had received the previous delivery. The man informed the driver he had not and the driver went next door and spoke Whiteman’s mother.

She confirmed that she knew nothing of the delivery and that she and her son, Christopher, had been out of the house. The delivery man saw Whiteman’s brother, Christopher, and confirmed this had not been the man who had signed for the package.

Nightline took the value of the missing items from the delivery driver’s wages

Whiteman denied all knowledge of the delivery.

Paddy MacDermott, defence solicitor, said that this ‘very mean offence’ was an ‘opportunistic’ venture and that he ‘didn’t seek it out, it had come his way and faced with the temptation, he couldn’t resist’.

Mr MacDermott said it was ‘a bit heartless of the employees’ to take the value of the lost delivery out of the wages of the ‘unfortunate delivery driver’ and that Whiteman hopes to pay him back. He added that Whiteman has a previous record and dishonesty matters stopped in 2008 but he has committed other offences since.

District Judge Barney McElholm said: “They say a man’s mother knows him best and it seems his mother does going by the comments she made to police about him.

“This is a despicable, mean and low offence, first he steals the property belonging to his neighbour and then puts the delivery driver in the position where he has to repay that loss.

“Mr Whiteman is a disgrace to the community.”

Whiteman was jailed for nine months.