Postmaster ripped off his customers

Feb 4 2010 By Dan Coombs, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

A MAN from Denham has been jailed for conning elderly people out of their life savings.

Sub-postmaster Sameer Tateri, 36, targeted elderly customers in a series of thefts dating back to 2004, often stealing hundreds of pounds at a time.

His deceit began to unravel in January last year, when an 81-year-old woman he had targeted began to notice inaccuracies in her account.

The woman, who has poor eyesight, had been a customer at the branch for 21 years.

She became worried and asked her daughter to check her account. She noticed that each time her mother had requested a withdrawal, more money had been taken out than she had asked for. In all, about £20,000 had been taken since 2005.

The police were notified and began a probe with post office investigators. Tateri, of Savay Close, was arrested on March 26, 2009 and bailed pending investigation.

The sub-post office, in Station Road, West Drayton, was closed for a number of days. Police officers were seen taking away boxes of evidence, and the branch reopened days later under new management.

Rumours in the community about fraudulent goings-on were rife, and the new owner had to issue an appeal to encourage customers to come back.

Tateri was charged with theft last September, and sentenced last week at Isleworth Crown Court to 14 months in jail. A confiscation hearing has been scheduled for October 1 to recoup the stolen money or possibly to seize assets.

Detective Constable Jacqui Robertson, who investigated the case, said: "This was a particularly distressing case for the victims involved, who had been targeted because of their vulnerability, caused through age, ill health or disability.

"For some the betrayal of trust from somebody who they have come to regard as a friend was worse than the monetary loss."