Cop SACKED after switching price tag on 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts to just 7p at Tesco
A COP who deliberately underpaid for Krispy Kreme doughnuts has been sacked after a panel found him guilty of gross misconduct.
PC Simon Read, who paid just 7p for the £9.95 box of 12 sticky treats, blamed human error for scanning the wrong barcode.
But barrister Mark Ley-Morgan said it beggared belief he would not have noticed he was being charged just over £4, knowing the doughnuts cost almost £10.
A panel, chaired by Sharmistha Michaels, yesterday concluded PC Read’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct – and dismissed the officer without notice.
It found PC Read’s explanation lacked in credibility, and that they did not accept his account that it was an honest mistake.
Ms Michaels said: “We feel that if this had been a genuine mistake, there would have been numerous occasions for this to be remedied by the officer.
“On the balance of probability, we say that he intentionally scanned the wrong barcode, and that his conduct was therefore dishonest, and his behaviour discreditable.
“This breach of the standards of professional behaviour was so serious that we have found it to amount to gross misconduct, and dismissal is therefore justified.”
She added: “We find that the seriousness of the offence is incompatible with his role as a police officer.
“The offence involved dishonesty, which undermines the trust that the public place in the police, and need to have in police officers for their service to be effective.
“There is nothing exceptional about this case that leads us to believe that dismissal for gross misconduct is not appropriate.”
PC Read, 37, was found to have abused his position as an on-duty police officer at Tesco Extra, in Wisbech, Cambs, on February 10.
The officer – who was on duty and in uniform at the time of the purchase – was caught on CCTV using self-service scales to weigh a bag of carrots.
He then placed the sticker on a cardboard tray containing the treats.
PC Read, who transferred to Cambridgeshire Police earlier this year from Thames Valley Police, had appeared before the panel accused of breaching two professional standards.
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The officer, who lives in Wisbech with his wife Carly Priestman, 39, has served on Cambridgeshire Police force since January 2020.
He previously served with Thames Valley Police in Reading, Berks., since 2008.
Lawyer Carolina Bracken, representing him, told the panel that his career had been “marked with success”, including involvement in several royal weddings to ensure they “ran smoothly”.
