Courier driver alleged to have stolen 'big swollen satchel' of cash

Wednesday, 18 April 2018

Police say a courier driver is either the 'unluckiest' delivery person in Taranaki or a thief who saw an opportunity to steal cash and took it.

Walter James Marsh stood trial on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to five charges of theft, offending which is alleged to have taken place while he was a courier driver for Fastway.

However, one of the charges was dismissed part way through the trial, which is before Judge Carolyn Henwood, due to a lack of evidence.

Regarding the remaining charges, it is alleged Marsh stole four parcels containing cash, between September 2016 and April 2017, which were destined to be deposited at the bank.

Defence lawyer Nathan Bourke said there was no dispute that three of the courier company's clients - Inglewood Hammer Hardware, Just Tyres Hāwera and Kaponga Primary School - had lost money but the issue was whether Marsh was responsible for taking it.

However, Sergeant Lewis Sutton said Marsh had the care of all of the packages containing the cash at the time they went missing.

The New Plymouth District Court heard from four people who worked for Fastway Couriers at the time of the alleged offending, all called as part of the prosecution case.  This included current owner of the Taranaki franchise Roger Gore.

Gore said in the five years he had been associated with the business, no banking entrusted to the courier firm had gone missing before.

He told Sutton he had spoken to Marsh when he was alerted about the missing packages. Regarding one belonging to Just Tyres Hāwera, Gore said the accused told him he 'couldn't find it.'

Gore said he also searched Marsh's van in the hope of finding the package 'because sometimes parcels do fall down the back of seats' but to no avail.

Under cross-examination by Bourke, Gore accepted parcels did go missing from time to time.

'Do you accept that if something goes missing it could just be a mistake?,' Bourke asked Gore.

'Yes,' he replied.

One of the bundles of cash picked up from Inglewood Hammer Hardware was described by Gore as a 'big swollen satchel' which had been difficult to store in the drawer at the courier firm's New Plymouth depot because of its size.

Another smaller cash satchel was also in the drawer at the same time that police allege Marsh scanned both items on April 21, 2017, as part of preparing them to be delivered to the bank. 

However it is alleged only the smaller sized parcel made it there. 

As part of its case to prove this charge, police showed security camera footage of the bank on the same day which showed Marsh entering the bank only carrying one parcel.

Marsh gave evidence in his defence and said he had been a courier driver for 10 years prior to joining Fastway in 2016.

He denied direct questions Bourke asked about whether he had stolen any of the cash parcels and said they had either been lost or mistakenly delivered to the wrong recipient.

Regarding cash belonging to Kaponga Primary School, which included fundraising money, Marsh said he had logged the parcel with his scanner on February 10 last year but could not find the package at the end of his courier run.

He told Gore about the missing package and on February 14, logged the item as undelivered.

Under cross examination by Sutton, Marsh accepted the money had gone missing on his watch, but denied he had intentionally pocketed it.

It was the one of several denials Marsh made to assertions repeatedly made by Sutton that he had stolen the money, prompting the sergeant to say the accused must be the 'unluckiest delivery person in New Plymouth' if his version was true.

'Sounds like it,' Marsh said.

Following the completion of evidence, Judge Henwood reserved her decision.