A Peterborough man used blue flashing lights to pull over a lone female who "annoyed" him by her standard of driving.
Chris Green, 31, of Nursery Close, Peterborough, admitted impersonating a police officer when he appeared in custody at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 9th May 2023.
This is an offence under section 90(1) of the Police Act 1996. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine.
Magistrates heard that the offence was committed on Saturday, 6th May 2023, on a country lane near Corsham, Wiltshire.
Green was driving down the lane at a speed of around 30 mph when the female driver overtook in her vehicle. He became annoyed and illuminated blue lights that were displayed through the windscreen of his blue Ford, causing the woman to pull over.
The 31-year-old security guard then approached the woman's car and told her he was "law enforcement" and "working undercover". His manner changed when he noticed a child sat in the passenger seat.
The police arrested Green two days later, finding handcuffs and a baseball bat in his vehicle.
Liz Highams, mitigating, told the court that her client, who had been working in the area, found himself in "an unusual situation" for a man of no previous convictions.
She said that the blue lights were fitted in connection with his security work on private land, but he accepted that he had turned them on because he was angry and wanted to remonstrate with the woman.
He did not intentionally impersonate a police officer, Ms Highams added.
Christine Smith, Presiding Justice, said: "It was all quite sinister.
"For all intents and purposes, she was alone. You took her down a lane and you had weapons in the car, and a means to restrain her. When you saw her child you backed away from her."
Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report.
Green, who wept in the dock, was granted conditional bail until his sentencing hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 5th July 2023.
Detective Inspector Matt Smith, of Wiltshire Police, said: "This was understandably a very unsettling incident for the woman involved, and will no doubt cause concern within the local community. I am pleased that the victim called police immediately which enabled us to locate the vehicle quickly and arrest Green, and seize items from his vehicle as part of our investigation.
"We'd urge anyone who may feel unsure whether a person they are dealing with is a genuine police officer to call us on 101 to check their identity immediately. If a crime is in progress, call 999.
"We'd also urge anyone with further information about this incident, or who thinks they have been victim to a similar incident, to call the police on 101."
No comments:
Post a Comment