A former postman in Italy is facing criminal charges after police found 400kg of undelivered mail hidden in his Turin home.
The 33-year-old failed to deliver post for three years, “telling police it was because his salary was ‘too low’”, according to The Local.
The pile of undelivered mail concealed in his home “might never have been discovered had it not been for him being stopped by police during a routine road check”, the website reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The man was found in possession of a 20cm folding knife and further suspicion was aroused after the police saw 70 letters on the back seat of his car.
When they attended the man’s house they found 40 further boxes of mail including private correspondance, bank statements and bills.
“I wasn’t paid enough and so I quit,” the man is reported to have told the authorities. He “now faces charges of theft, misappropriation of correspondence and for carrying a weapon”, reports The Guardian.
Italy’s “postal service is fairly unreliable, and the case is not the first of its kind”, adds the paper.
Earlier this year, a 56-year-old man from Vicenza was arrested after he tried to recycle more than half a tonne of undelivered post. Police were called in when “workers from a recycling plant were sent to empty the garage and found 43 yellow plastic postal containers stuffed full of letters, bills, bank statements and even electoral pamphlets dating back to 2010”, Reuters reported at the time.
Failure to deliver post in Italy carries a prison sentence of up to one year.
-
Kim Ju Ae: North Korea’s next leader?The Explainer Kim Jong Un’s young daughter is being seen as his ‘recognised heir’ following a high-profile public appearance at China summit
-
Is the UK government getting too close to Big Tech?Today’s Big Question US-UK tech pact, supported by Nvidia and OpenAI, is part of Silicon Valley drive to ‘lock in’ American AI with US allies
-
Russia’s war games and the threat to NatoIn depth Incursion into Poland and Zapad 2025 exercises seen as a test for Europe
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
The Strait of Messina: a bridge too far?Talking Point Giorgia Meloni's government wants to build the world's longest suspension bridge, fulfilling the ancient Roman vision of connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Superyachts are getting caught up in spy scandalsThe Explainer China and Russia have both been accused of spying maneuvers on the open sea
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
