An Illawarra post office worker stole almost 1000 items of mail before he was caught, a Wollongong court was told yesterday.Roberto Edward Hernandez accumulated the mail from February to October, Wollongong Local Court heard.Police prosecutor David Coulton told the court there were at least 800 victims.The stolen parcels usually contained DVDs, with titles such as Happy Feet, Toy Story, Brokeback Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, police said.Hernandez, 55, of Zelang Ave, Figtree, was arrested on October 21 and initially charged with 23 counts of appropriating mail over the disappearance of 786 items between February 19 and June 5.Further inquiries revealed another 146 missing items and led to more charges being laid.Hernandez now faces a total of 63 charges, including 60 counts of appropriating mail, and one count each of obstructing the delivery of mail, dishonestly tampering with mail and destroying mail.Hernandez, who faces a possible jail term, is accused of tampering with 21 mail articles between February 5 and March 22.He also allegedly burnt four items of mail on October 21.Police originally refused Hernandez bail, claiming he was a repeat offender.He was given bail in Wollongong Local Court last month, on the condition that he not enter the Wollongong Australia Post office.Hernandez was not legally represented in court yesterday but said he was seeking Legal Aid. He is due to reappear in court on February 25.