Moment police officer stole £60 cash from a mechanic’s garage during routine callout
Thieving cop was jailed for four months after admitting burglary
A THIEVING cop who was jailed for stealing £60 from a garage while on duty has been sacked for gross misconduct.
Neville Thompson was filmed on CCTV in the moments before he stole the cash, which a couple had posted through the letterbox of the garage to make a payment.
The 35-year-old bent cop, who worked for Leicestershire Police, had been called out to make enquiries about a burnt-out car on the same road as the garage.
After the couple had dropped off their payment, Thompson returned before reaching through the letterbox and snatching it on March 25 this year.
The ex-policeman from Queniborough, Leicestershire, was jailed for four months in July after admitting burglary.
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He was formerly dismissed from the force by Chief Constable Simon Cole at a disciplinary hearing.
The panel heard that the divorced dad-of-two had an unblemished 12-year service record.
But Mr Cole said “Not only did he commit a criminal offence but it was also while in uniform and on duty.
"It is a disgraceful episode.”
Speaking after Thompson was found jailed last month, Mr Cole said: "There can only be one result, which is that he needs to be dismissed from the service immediately.
"It would be wrong not to acknowledge that in 12 years of service there have been many good things done.
"But the bottom line is, as the judge acknowledged, a flagrant disregard of the standards I would expect of a police officer.
"Not only did he commit a criminal offence, but it was also while in uniform and on duty.
"It is a disgraceful episode and he should be dismissed."
Sentencing Thompson to four months in jail, Judge Nicholas Dean QC told him: "What, of course, distinguishes this case is not only were you a serving police officer, you were on duty.
"It hardly needs to be said that standards of integrity and honesty in the police force are immutable; they're fixed and clear.
"Police officers come across people in all states of vulnerable positions.
"Police officers are there to protect and detect crime.
"If they commit offences they do so in breach of the highest levels of trust it's possible to imagine.
"You've already suffered profound consequences as a result of your moment of madness."