special constable charged with posing as inspector

[falkor]

A POLICE special constable has been charged with stealing CS gas from a cop shop, and with posing as a real inspector to threaten a motorist with prosecution.Jeanette Oldham Jan 8
Ian Atterbury, 26, was a special constable with West Midlands Police and was based at Walsall and also at the Motorway Unit.

But he is now set to appear in court charged with five offences including theft of CS gas and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Atterbury, of Walsall, was arrested at the end of last year, and first appeared at Leamington magistrates court on December 23.

He is due to attend a plea and case management hearing at Warwick Crown Court in April. He will have an opportunity to enter a plea then.

The special has been charged with five offences including one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981.

He is also charged with two counts of dangerous driving, in breach of Section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, one count of theft contrary to the Theft Act 1968 and a separate charge of possession of a prohibited weapon, under the Firearms Act 1968.

It is understood that the charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice centres around allegations that Mr Atterbury threatened a motorist with prosecution for speeding while the special made his way to the scene of a suspected robbery.

It is alleged he was wearing a uniform bearing inspector’s stripes on the shoulder badge during the incident on August 11 last year.

Siren

The dangerous driving allegations are said to relate to claims that the special drove a police vehicle with an activated siren and blue lights on various roads, also on August 11.

Seems quite clear why this cretin joined as a Special.....

Here Here TO...seems they let a bad apple through.
Some of the specials I work with are brilliant and they support the teams well, others need a little more guidance...the one thing I've noticed they all have in common in my area is that they're willing to learn and ask all sorts of questions!

HotelEcho1971 wrote:

Here Here TO...seems they let a bad apple through.
Some of the specials I work with are brilliant and they support the teams well, others need a little more guidance...the one thing I've noticed they all have in common in my area is that they're willing to learn and ask all sorts of questions!

Absolutely mate. He's a rare exception thankfully.

We have some excellent Specials in my force! Sometimes you wouldn't even know they were Specials. I take my hat off to them. They are invaluable!

[falkor]

ooooooooooo don't forget http://specialspro.com/ the one competitor to Police Specials

but I actually do feel sorry for this guy, god knows what his family and friends think of him now, that is probably a major punishment in itself, to get charged with all this lot he has obviously cheesed off the regulars big time

What the fuck do they expect to happen when they send a young lad to a robbery in a vehicle with lights and sirens. Yes, most would know not to do it but some will because the temptation is too much. I would think he had the best intentions and wouldn't be surprised if he got off with all charges bar the CS one, haven't got the foggiest what that one's about.

On that, charge of theft of the CS, all he has to say is that he was going to put it back so no intention of permanently depriving the plod of it. Not guilty.

CraigDavid wrote:

What the fuck do they expect to happen when they send a young lad to a robbery in a vehicle with lights and sirens. Yes, most would know not to do it but some will because the temptation is too much. I would think he had the best intentions and wouldn't be surprised if he got off with all charges bar the CS one, haven't got the foggiest what that one's about.

What an odd couple of posts? Do you know him?

Why did he resign if not guilty? (confirmed by my source)

He was in a position of trust and should have known better. Temptation? You're having a laugh mate!

I suspect he wasn't authorised or trained to use blues and twos but does so anyway?

What's the dressing up as an inspector thing all about? I guess he must have picked up the wrong jacket on his way out...

CraigDavid wrote:

On that, charge of theft of the CS, all he has to say is that he was going to put it back so no intention of permanently depriving the plod of it. Not guilty.

Seriously?

He was in possession of it between May and August. Plenty of time to return it...

He would have been issued with his own CS gas. Why did he (presumably) require a second one at home...

I'll be watching this case with interest.

TangoOscar31 wrote:

I'll be watching this case with interest.

"As promised!!

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories//tm_headline=man-dressed-up-as-police-inspector-and-drove-around-in-patrol-car-during-birmingham-riots%26method=full%26objectid=30901372%26siteid=97319-name_page.html

A SPECIAL constable who dreamed of being a full-time police officer has been jailed for posing as a senior officer and driving a patrol car without permission.

A court heard Ian Atterbury “indulged in a spot of fantasy” and was “anxious to impress” at the time of last year’s Birmingham riots.

The 26-year-old wore a police’s inspector’s uniform and told a driver he had earned the rank as he wrongly tried to prosecute him for speeding.

And a canister of police-issue CS spray was found in Atterbury’s own car when he was arrested after being reported by other officers.

Jailing him for 18 months at Warwick Crown Court, Judge Marten Coates told him: “I am absolutely amazed you’re here before this court.

“You have a family and a job and you became a special constable. You then had this aberration.”

The judge added: “The public can have confidence in part-time officers like yourself – because it was officers like you who brought your offending to light.”

Atterbury, 26, of Church Street, Brownhills, Walsall, was also banned from driving for three years after admitting doing acts intended to pervert the course of justice, two charges of dangerous driving, and illegally possessing a CS spray.

Nigel Wilkins, prosecuting, said Atterbury was spotted wearing an inspector’s uniform at Aldridge police station on August 11 last year.

He then responded to a report of a robbery in a police car he was not authorised to drive.

The court heard he drove at excessive speed with the blue lights and sirens on and went through red lights on the wrong side of the road in the face of other traffic.

Mr Wilkins said Atterbury later followed a Jaguar he claimed was speeding, with lights and sirens on, and claimed he was an inspector when he told the driver he was being prosecuted for speeding.

Atterbury claimed he took the CS spray home by mistake but gave no explanation for posing as an inspector, said Mr Wilkins.

Wykeham Garsia, defending, said: “He wanted to be a full-time police officer, but the force was not recruiting at that time.

“It was at the time of the riots. He was anxious to impress and volunteered for extra work. All the excitement got him in a state where he indulged in a spot of fantasy.”




I find his defence laughable tbh. What a load of utter b****cks!

Good to see the courts handing down a proper punishment...

CraigDavid wrote:

What the fuck do they expect to happen when they send a young lad to a robbery in a vehicle with lights and sirens. Yes, most would know not to do it but some will because the temptation is too much. I would think he had the best intentions and wouldn't be surprised if he got off with all charges bar the CS one, haven't got the foggiest what that one's about.

CraigDavid wrote:

On that, charge of theft of the CS, all he has to say is that he was going to put it back so no intention of permanently depriving the plod of it. Not guilty.

Hey CraigDavid, I hope you aren't considering a career in law!

I wonder if the only reason he got bubbled was because trying to be proactive looked so out of place , rather than sat about eating donuts

Surprised they didn't stick him in for theft of the uniform too