A postman who was jailed for stealing from Royal Mail has been ordered to pay a £50,000 court order.

Green, 54, of Prittlewell Close, Ipswich, had denied stealing £975 from Royal Mail and converting criminal property and was found guilty of both offences after a trial at Ipswich Crown Court in March.

The court heard that Green, who had worked for Royal Mail for more than 20 years, stole £975 which had been planted in a test package by suspicious Royal Mail staff in August 2010.

At a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Adrian Chaplin, prosecuting, said Green’s benefit from his offending was £43,449, which was a civil debt that could be recouped from Green’s Royal Mail pension.

He also asked the court for £6,550 costs.

Judge John Devaux made a confiscation order in the sum of £43,449 to be paid as compensation to Royal Mail and a costs order of £6,550.

During his trial Green told the court that it was not in his nature to be dishonest and that even if he had been tempted to steal mail he would not have done so under the nose of Royal Mail investigators.

Green denied that £500 worth of Mauritian rupees which had been exchanged in 2009, and paid into his father’s bank account over which he had power of attorney, had come from a special delivery package that was never received by a customer.

Green’s sister told the court she had sent the money over for her father after she was forced to cancel a holiday.

The court was told a test package, containing £975, had been taken to Ipswich sorting office where Green was working. Green took it to a walk-in safe and when he came out it appeared the envelope had been tampered with. When the envelope was examined the money had gone.