A late-night mail thief who helped himself to post from a block of flats has been spared jail.

Abdul Mutakabbis, 22, took dozens of parcels and envelopes from post boxes in City Gate House, Eastern Avenue, Gants Hill, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

He was caught after a resident from a neighbouring block of flats spotted him and two other men and called the police.

Mutakabbis was found with a key to the post boxes hidden inside his trousers.

When the trio were arrested they had a black bag with them containing dozens of envelopes, including several containing new credit cards.

Mutakabbis admitted theft and was on Friday given a six month prison sentence on suspended for 18 months.

Prosecutor Rebecca Austin told the court the three men had targeted to block of flats on September 18.

She said: “At about 3.30am by sheer chance a man in a neighbouring block of flats looked out his window and saw the three men.

“He watched the men for some time and as he watched them he could see they were opening all the post boxes and passing around a black bag and taking items out of the post boxes and putting them into the bag.”

After watching the men for around 15 minutes the man phoned the police who arrived a short time later.

Judge George Khayat said the theft was capable of causing “extreme personal hurt” and told Mutakabbis: “People rely on mail arriving and credit cards arriving from the bank.”

Judge Khayat said he had been ready to jail Mutakabbis, but had been persuaded to suspend the sentence.

Mutakabbis, of Exchange House, St Andrew’s Road, Willesden, was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and adhere to a curfew between 9pm and 5.30am for three months.