Predatory postman jailed for sex attacks as court hears how one victim took her own life

The postal service had received several complaints about "creepy" Michael Stewart's behaviour but no proper steps were taken to stop him and he continued to work.

Tragically, one of his victims committed suicide during a telephone call to a Royal Mail manager and another victim has also since died.

Stewart, 63, of Windsor Crescent, Amble, Northumberland, was convicted of 12 offences of sexual assault, harassment and exposure, in relation to five victims, after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court and has today been locked up for six-and-a-half years.

The court heard "family man" Stewart, who worked at Royal Mail for over 20 years, hid his sinister motives by having a "kind word and cheeky smile" with people he encountered.

Judge Robert Spragg told him: "I pay tribute to all the women who had have the courage to bring this case against you.

"You hid what you were doing in plain sight, behind the facade of respectability, to allow you to get away with it for some time.

"Tragically they were not listened to properly when they did report you.

"You just carried on even after you were warned or they told you to stop. Proper steps to stop you in your tracks were not taken."

Judge Spragg added: "No sentence I pass can undo the harm that has been caused."

The court heard the victim who took her life had made a statement against Stewart in December 2021 and she died by suicide in March 2022.

She said in her statement Stewart had grabbed her shirt and looked down at her breasts, kissed her and exposed himself to her three times.

In an impact statement in December 2021, she said Stewart's behaviour towards her had affected her sleeping and eating and she was on medication to help her. She also said she was "not a confident person" and was having thoughts of self harm and suicide.

A police officer who spoke to her in November 2024 said she appeared "upset and badly affected" by her ordeal and had given her advice on support services.

When the officer saw her again to take her statement on December 10 2021, she said she felt suicidal because of the trauma involving what Stewart had done and the Royal Mail response to it and she was referred to mental health services.

On January 19 2022 she told police she had taken an overdose.

Judge Spragg said: "On March 11 2022 she committed suicide by hanging at her home address.

"She made a telephone call to a Royal Mail manager in a very distressed state and blamed her ill health on Michael Stewart's offending against her and how this was dealt with by Royal Mail.

"She committed suicide during that telephone call."

Judge Spragg told Stewart: "Her own victim personal statement referred to self harm and suicide and she was actually on the phone to Royal Mail management when she ended her life showing a clear causal link.

"While this response was not predictable, it was nonetheless as a result of what you did.

"It is impossible to know the full reasons why someone chooses to take their own life but I repeat, had you not behaved in this manner towards her it is clear she would not have suffered the severe psychological harm she did, leading to the loss of her life."

The woman's family say their lives have been "destroyed" by losing her.

The court heard one woman was sexually assaulted by Stewart, who she said was "creepy", and that his attack on her was reported and he was "suspended for a few days" from his route.

The court heard he showed the victim a picture of his penis on his phone when he returned to that round.

She said in an impact statement she was left "disgusted" and that Stewart turned from a "nice guy to someone she had to hide from".

Another victim, who has also since died, said Stewart was "like a kid in a sweet shop" while staring at her chest and he put his foot over the threshold of her door to grope her.

She said she was left feeling "uncomfortable and unsafe in her own house".

A fourth victim was sexually assaulted three times by Stewart and said she was left "devastated", with her mental health badly affected.

The fifth woman, who also found Stewart to be "creepy" said she "froze" when he targeted her. She reported what happened to Royal Mail management but "never heard anything back".

Jessica Slaughter, defending, said character references from those who know Stewart describe a "different version" of him.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "These crimes were abhorrent and had significant, and in cases tragic, consequences for the victims.

"Stewart abused his position of trust. This verdict reflects the seriousness of his offences. We would like to publicly apologise to the victims, their families and to others who were targeted.

"The protection of our colleagues and customers is our utmost priority. Following this case, we commissioned an independent review.

"In line with its recommendations, we implemented changes across the organisation, including a multi-year campaign on sexual harassment and culture in the workplace, new internal reporting tools and clearer codes of conduct and expected behaviours."