Pot-smoking postman burned mail

YORK, England, June 22 (UPI) -- Authorities in Britain said a marijuana-smoking postal carrier burned thousands of letters that the weed made him too lazy to deliver.

Police said Neil Goddard, 32, of York, England, had $13,000 worth of marijuana plants growing in his home and allegedly smoked so much of his own stash that he was unable to keep up with his deliveries and burned the leftover mail, The Sun reported Monday.

Goddard set fire to about 10,000 pieces of mostly junk mail he had agreed to deliver to bolster his paycheck, authorities said. He was using cannabis heavily at the time to deal with depression over his mother's recent death, court officials said.

Goddard pleaded guilty to delaying post, three charges of claiming payment for junk mail he had not delivered and a charge of burning mail.

In an earlier trial, Goddard admitted in April to growing marijuana with an intent to supply the drug to others. After both trials, he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.