Postman Paul Horgan stole thousands of pounds by pinching the cash out of birthday cards.

Horgan told Post Office investigators he stole up to £80 a week over an 18-month period. According to his solicitor, the total could have topped £6,000.

Horgan spent the cash on gambling and drinking, but he also bought a mountain bike and other goods - including a model of the Titanic - which were recovered by investigators.

The father of a young son, Horgan, 34, of Park Cottages, North Leigh, near Witney, pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing packets belonging to the Post Office when he worked as a postman at Wallingford between April 1997 and September this year.

Magistrates at Didcot yesterday remanded him on bail to Oxford Crown Court for sentence. Edward Bradley, prosecuting, told the court an investigation was launched in August after people on Horgan's delivery round complained they had not received mail.

Post Office security officers subsequently found 20 undelivered birthday cards in Horgan's bag.

Mr Bradley said when Post Office investigator Charlie Small and two police officers raided Horgan's home, they saw he had been trying to get rid of incriminating material. They recovered "a large quantity of wet debris of greetings cards from the sink, the bath and toilet".

And Mr Bradley added: "There were damaged and opened postal packets in the bedroom, the lounge and in a glass cupboard.

"Horgan told the investigator that during the previous 18 months he stole about £40 to £80 a week from mail he collected from pillar boxes and the Wallingford office.

"Horgan said he stole to fund his drinking and gambling and to buy items like a mountain bike, costing £145, a £60 model of the Titanic, four Queen CDs costing £44 and a Nintendo computer game costing £129.99."

Maria Elena-Pozuelo, defending, said that on the basis of Horgan's admission that he stole between £40 and £80 a week, she and the prosecuting solicitor calculated he "may have stolen more than £3,000 or a maximum of just over £6,000". Horgan, who was of previous good character, said in a statement: "I am glad I have been caught. I am totally and utterly ashamed of what I have done. I don't know how I can look into my son's eyes."

The court heard Horgan, who is now getting divorced, had been sacked.

The Royal Mail said today thefts of mail by staff were very rare.

Spokesman Andy Routledge said: "In the central south region, the Royal Mail has 17,000 employees dealing with eight million items of mail daily.

"The vast majority of our staff are hard-working and trustworthy. But as has happened in this case in Wallingford, every now and then we fall victim to crime in the same way that the rest of society does."

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