Post Office robber denied his pension.

mike65

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1219/1229523100695.html

A 61-YEAR-OLD man, a former employee of the old Department of Posts and Telegraphs, claims he has been refused a pension which he paid into for 16 years because of his part in an IRA robbery of a post office during the height of the Troubles

Matt Leen, who had worked as a post office clerk, served seven years in Portlaoise prison for his part in the robbery of Tralee Post Office in 1978.

In February 2007, when he reached the age of 60, Mr Leen, who lives in Tralee, applied for the pension scheme into which he had paid regularly for 16 years while employed by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs as a clerk in various post offices throughout the country. He was told by An Post his pension came to €20,000, plus €170 a week, but the amount taken in the robbery plus compound interest which amounted to over €200,000 would have to be paid back first.

The cheek of some people!

uberwolf

yeah, brilliant isn't it.

peasant

He should have become a governement minister ...no matter what you do, your pension's safe.

SoWatchaWant

Yup, makes sense.:)

KTRIC

I love it


He's got some cheek

Silverfish

Um, he served his time.

30 years have passed, if they wanted the money back, they should have asked for it 30 years ago, not just 'Nyaaaa, we took your pension'

Earthhorse

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

30 years have passed, if they wanted the money back, they should have asked for it 30 years ago, not just 'Nyaaaa, we took your pension'

Most employer pension schemes have clauses whereby, if you are fired, you are no longer entitled to the pension.

Sharpshooter

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

30 years have passed, if they wanted the money back, they should have asked for it 30 years ago, not just 'Nyaaaa, we took your pension'

It does seem very underhanded , why not tell him years ago and give him the option of finding another job ?

That's low tbh.

Biggins

Earthhorse wrote: »

Most employer pension schemes have clauses whereby, if you are fired, you are no longer entitled to the pension.

Yep, they would have gotten him on that legal technicality alone.
(...and quite right, he was robbing other peoples pensions too at the time but he's wasn't thinking of them was he!)

Earthhorse

sharpshooterH wrote: »

It does seem very underhanded , why not tell him years ago and give him the option of finding another job ?

That's low tbh.

I doubt they him employed him after the robbery and his release from prison. Not clear from the article but I imagine the 16 years referred to were before the robbery.

MagicMarker

That's one incentive for him to rob another PO.

While I don't necessarily agree with it, I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for him.

uberwolf

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

there was a line somewhere today which summed that up for me. He'd repaid his debt to society, but not his debt to An Post.

The bloody minded sense of entitlement people have is unreal.

Big Ears

Earthhorse wrote: »

I doubt they him employed him after the robbery and his release from prison. Not clear from the article but I imagine the 16 years referred to were before the robbery.

That would mean he'd been working in that job since he's 15, not impossible but.....

EamonnKeane

"Tis my money father, I just didn't want t'fill out d'forms!"

dixiefly

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

30 years have passed, if they wanted the money back, they should have asked for it 30 years ago, not just 'Nyaaaa, we took your pension'

I cannot believe all the politically correct asshole do gooders on this forum! The guy is a f*cking criminal and still has the neck to look for entitlements. The only entitlement he should have is jail followed by losing a lot of so called entitlement he could have had before he broke the law!!!

It is crappy political correct stuff like this that is dragging the country to it's needs. We need to forget about the "entitlements" of criminals be it this guy or our bankers that have indirectly robbed us and do right by the ordinary law abiding citizen in the country.

brianthebard

Earthhorse wrote: »

Most employer pension schemes have clauses whereby, if you are fired, you are no longer entitled to the pension.

But he was a government employee, different rules. You can turn up at the office for forty years and not do a jot for them and they'll still pay you every week and hand you a pension at the end. He was just a bit more blatant about robbing taxpayers money.

IvySlayer

Karma.

Now he knows what it's like to have something nicked off him.

Beau x1

At first I felt sorry for the guy when I read this - but yeah, he deserves it. He was old enough to make his own decisions, and yeah. That's life.

daftdave

sharpshooterH wrote: »

It does seem very underhanded , why not tell him years ago and give him the option of finding another job ?

That's low tbh.

and what he did wasnt underhanded ????, its not funny getting ur pension denied, but if you play the game, expect to get played !

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

sceptre

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

That'd be punishment and potential rehabilitation. Not payment.

L1011

Big Ears wrote: »

That would mean he'd been working in that job since he's 15, not impossible but.....

P&T hired people from the age of 14, so that is entirely possible.

Additionally, as a civil servant of the time, he didn't pay a penny to the scheme himself - it came with the job. This "he pension scheme into which he had paid regularly" line is entirely inaccurate - he didn't have a choice in the matter, he didn't pay regularly in to anything.

Overheal

Maybe the IRA will bail him out.

Silverfish

Silverfish wrote: »

Um, he served his time.

30 years have passed, if they wanted the money back, they should have asked for it 30 years ago, not just 'Nyaaaa, we took your pension'

he was in the ra. scum like that deserve to die old and poor.

Overheal

Deleted User wrote: »

he was in the ra. scum like that deserve to die old and poor.

so is this about the stealing for most people here, or the IRA bit.

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

so is this about the stealing for most people here, or the IRA bit.

robbery in this case.. but i also dislike the ira.




i think it serves the guy right, he still gets his regular pension.. he lost a second pension cause he likely abused his position of working in a post office to help an illegal organisation he was a member of to rob a post office.

an post have better things to do with their money than give it to this guy.. or are the PC brigade gonne try prove otherwise?

Overheal

Because An Post always pays its workers fairly. Yes, they can blame all those wage freezes on this guy now.

jhegarty

Deleted User wrote: »

he was in the ra. scum like that deserve to die old and poor.

You do know that dying old is good thing ?

hardly a relevant point overheal?

jhegarty

jhegarty wrote: »

You do know that dying old is good thing ?

well i wouldn't want to wish bad on the guy's health..

Overheal

well you say an post has better things to do with their money. Im waiting

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

well you say an post has better things to do with their money. Im waiting

do you really want me to write out a list?

Overheal

Yes.

if they gave it to charity it would be better spent.
if they gave honest employees a christmas bonus it would be better spend.
if they bought 50foot dildo with the money, it'd be better spent.

i could give realistic uses for the money aswell if you like?

Crash

I'm all for the 50ft dildo tbh. Would love to see it on its "world tour of irish Post offices".

Overheal

Deleted User wrote: »

if they gave it to charity it would be better spent.
if they gave honest employees a christmas bonus it would be better spend.
if they bought 50foot dildo with the money, it'd be better spent.

i could give realistic uses for the money aswell if you like?

Giving money to honest emplyees is not realistic? Giving money to charity is not realistic?

And what the **** needs a 50 foot dildo? Planning on seducing a Blue Whale?

i meant it would be unrealistic for his exact pension money to be given to charity..

anyways, do ya think he should get the an post pension?

Overheal

I think An Post will abuse he money more than he would have. Probably as a christmas bonus for their executives to pay for coke and hookers.

Earthhorse

Big Ears wrote: »

That would mean he'd been working in that job since he's 15, not impossible but.....

As someone else pointed out that would not be so uncommon at the time.

brianthebard wrote: »

But he was a government employee, different rules.

There are different rules set out for all employer pension schemes and yes for semi-states too. Wouldn't surprise me if being fired and losing your entitlement was one of them.

midlandsmissus

It's my money, I just didn't want to fill out the forms!!!

mountainyman

In fairness to the guy he'd paid into the pension and he wasn't stealing the money fro himself he was doing it for Ireland.

Let's face it the management of An Post are scum the IRA are heroes.

mike65

[facepalm moment]

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

dixiefly wrote: »

I cannot believe all the politically correct asshole do gooders on this forum! The guy is a f*cking criminal and still has the neck to look for entitlements. The only entitlement he should have is jail followed by losing a lot of so called entitlement he could have had before he broke the law!!!

It is crappy political correct stuff like this that is dragging the country to it's needs. We need to forget about the "entitlements" of criminals be it this guy or our bankers that have indirectly robbed us and do right by the ordinary law abiding citizen in the country.

Well if you serve your time in jail after a crime, that was given to you by the state, then what's the problem? I don't think you should pay for that type of crime for your whole life.

The 200K that this guy robbed, did vanish or something? What happened to that exactly?

mike65

Used to either buy arms or stashed away for a rainy day.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

mike65 wrote: »

Used to either buy arms or stashed away for a rainy day.

Then feck him. What goes around, comes around. Will he get a state pension then?

Irlbo

The man is 61 and a life long An Post employee,in his private life he was an IRA volunteer,and was involved in a robbery at An Post,the funds aquired werent his,they were for the Republican movement to procure arms,maintain as a organisation,for the sake of freeing the North of this country from British rule,he served 16 years as a polictical prisoner,to society he's paid his dues,and deserves his pension for working hard all his life,regardless of position in the IRA or the time he spent,shame on An Post,they have no right to do this to a brave republican

Chardee MacDennis

Overheal wrote: »

I think An Post will abuse he money more than he would have. Probably as a christmas bonus for their executives to pay for coke and hookers.

but its their money to abuse. i dont see your point, he doesnt deserve a penny, he is a thief and he stole from his own work :rolleyes:

irish people are crazy....

Chardee MacDennis

Irlbo wrote: »

The man is 61 and a life long An Post employee,in his private life he was an IRA volunteer,and was involved in a robbery at An Post,the funds aquired werent his,they were for the Republican movement to procure arms,maintain as a organisation,for the sake of freeing the North of this country from British rule,he served 16 years as a polictical prisoner,to society he's paid his dues,and deserves his pension for working hard all his life,regardless of position in the IRA or the time he spent,shame on An Post,they have no right to do this to a brave republican

he is not a political prisoner, he was a thief, next you'll be saying that boys who go to jail for blowing up innocent people are political prisoners...

mike65

To be fair the money in the PO is our money! Thats what the Provos were stealing. Our money.

robinph

dixiefly wrote: »

I cannot believe all the politically correct asshole do gooders on this forum! The guy is a f*cking criminal and still has the neck to look for entitlements. The only entitlement he should have is jail followed by losing a lot of so called entitlement he could have had before he broke the law!!!

It is crappy political correct stuff like this that is dragging the country to it's needs. We need to forget about the "entitlements" of criminals be it this guy or our bankers that have indirectly robbed us and do right by the ordinary law abiding citizen in the country.

Nothing that anyone in this thread has said has anything to do with "political correctness", gone mad or otherwise. I'm not entirely sure what it is you are complaining about?

RoundTower

plenty of people do worse things and get to keep their pension. Remember High Court Judge Brian Curtin who was fired after it was found that he was into child porn (he got off on the actual child porn charges due to his connections, but still lost his job)? He's still earning an enormous pension.