South Wales Police
A detective and his former colleague have each been jailed for two years for stealing £10,000 in a police raid in Swansea.
Det Con Michael Stokes, 35, from Glynneath, and Stephen Phillips, 47, of Swansea, had denied taking cash seized from homes in 2011.
Phillips was cleared of a further theft charge, while Stokes was cleared of two at Cardiff Crown Court.
The jury had already been directed to find a third officer not guilty.
The trial was told cash was taken during a count of the money after the houses were raided four years ago.
An investigation was started after the money was returned to its owner, who complained some of it was missing, the court heard.
Sentencing the men, Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees, said: "You demonstrated contempt for the laws you were meant to uphold. There was planning and subterfuge in the way the offences were carried out.
Wales News Service
"These offences represent a gross abuse of the trust placed in you as police officers. Such corrupt behaviour does untold damage to the public's confidence in the police and tarnishes the reputation of the vast majority of officers."
Ass Chf Cons Jon Stratford, of South Wales Police, said he hoped the prison sentences handed to the men sent out a "clear and unequivocal message that South Wales Police will identify and deal with anyone who engages in this type of corrupt behaviour".
Gemma Vincent, of the Crown Prosecution Service's Wales Complex Casework Unit, said Stokes and Phillips had breached the trust placed in them as police officers and failed in their duty to act diligently and professionally to protect the public and uphold the law.
No comments:
Post a Comment