DPD worker caught throwing parcel across garden
A delivery driver was sacked after CCTV caught the shocking moment he launched a parcel containing a Christmas present for a boy with a rare tumour across a garden.
In the clip, captured on Vicky Hood's video doorbell, the DPD worker was seen growing increasingly irritated as he attempted to drop-off the package at the family's Sudbury home.
After pressing the bell and then heavily banging on the front door of the home to no avail, he picked up the parcel and aggressively threw it out of shot before walking off.
Mrs Hood, 50, said the package contained a fragile model aeroplane for her son, Ronnie, 11, who has an incurable tumour growing on his spine and brain.
"I was in shock when I saw the parcel thrown across the lawn but also upset in case Ronnie's present had broken," she said.
"I know the delivery drivers are very busy at this time of year, as we own a courier company, but that is no excuse to treat people's items with such disrespect.
"They could have saved up for so long to buy a gift, only to have it broken and ruin their Christmas. Thankfully, Ronnie's present was undamaged."
Schoolboy Ronnie, who was given nine months to live after his diagnosis in March, is currently being treated with a £700-per-month experimental drug but there remains "no miracle cure".
DPD told the BBC it was notified of the incident straight away and the driver was "no longer delivering" for the company.
"A depot senior manager called the customer to apologise," a spokesperson added.
"We would like to reassure all customers that this individual's behaviour does not reflect the fantastic service our team delivers every day.
"We will always act when standards fall short of what we expect."
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