The Maebashi District Court sentenced a policeman to 14 years in prison Thursday for three post office robberies in Gunma Prefecture last year that netted him 5.5 million yen.
When Takao Osari, 44, was an officer with the Saitama Prefectural Police, he "bought expensive items and repeatedly amassed debts," presiding Judge Yasuhiro Kuga said.
The defendant robbed a post office in Isesaki on June 5, a post office in Midori on Aug. 7 and another in Ota on Nov. 8, threatening the managers and employees with a knife, according to the court.