A postman in Vic has accepted a one-year prison sentence after admitting to discarding dozens of letters, predominantly electoral propaganda for Junts per Catalunya, into a paper recycling bin. The 64-year-old postal worker reached a plea agreement with the prosecution to avoid a trial by jury at the Barcelona High Court.
The defendant, identified as J.P.M., was originally facing a harsher penalty of one and a half years in prison. By admitting to the charges, he secured a reduced sentence and a lower fine. However, he has been disqualified from working in the public sector for three years.
Your browser does not support the video tag.Home » Vic Postman Sentenced: Postal Worker Jailed for Dumping Electoral Mail
Vic Postman Sentenced: Electoral Mail Found in Recycling Bin
According to the conformity agreement ratified by the defence and the prosecution, the incident occurred in November 2019 during the Spanish general election campaign. The defendant had been a permanent employee of Correos (the Spanish postal service) since November 2006 and had been delivering mail on foot in the capital of Osona since 2007.
At the time of the offence, he was the designated postman for his zone, responsible for managing ordinary correspondence and election materials. Instead of delivering the mail, he disposed of 201 letters from the political party Junts per Catalunya into a paper and cardboard container near the Mossèn Josep Guiteras civic centre.
In addition to the political mail, the postman also discarded two letters from Movistar, one from Google, and one from Naturgy.
Neighbours Alerted Authorities to Dumped Mail
The discarded mail was discovered by local residents who spotted the correspondence in the bin. They immediately alerted Correos and the police. Following the report, a Correos employee was dispatched to the container to retrieve the letters.
The swift action of the neighbours allowed the postal service to recover the mail. Consequently, it was delivered to the correct recipients the very next day.
Vic Postman Sentencing Details and Penalties
The postman was convicted of infidelity in the custody of documents (breach of trust). Under the terms of the agreement, the court set the sentence at one year in prison and a fine of €1,050. Furthermore, he is barred from public employment for three years.
The plea deal meant that the scheduled jury trial did not take place. Therefore, it brought a swift conclusion to the legal proceedings initiated after the 2019 discovery.
Join Barcelona English Speakers WhatsApp Community .
