A postman has been sacked after his bosses found out he once attempted to hold up a post office.

Ashley Allen worked for a month at Leicester's main delivery office before it was revealed that he had been convicted.

The 19-year-old served 14 months of a two-year sentence for attempted armed robbery but did not reveal his record when he applied for the post office job.

He was with a gang who walked up to the Groby post office shop in Leicestershire wearing masks and carrying weapons, including a gun and a knife, before police arrived on the scene.

References from a previous employer were excellent and said he was honest and punctual

Consignia

Harre Lakhani, postmaster at Groby for 13 years, said he remembered the gang being arrested outside his shop.

"Two or three of them had guns and one had a machete and they had masks on their faces," the 50-year-old said.

Allen was given the job a month ago following a glowing reference from his previous employer, a Consignia spokesman said.

"We had no reason to question his application at the time," he said.

"References from a previous employer were excellent and said he was honest and punctual.

"Within 24 hours of our discovery he was dismissed."

Mr Lakhani said: "I am pleased he has gone".