Shepherd, of Abbey Road in Barrow, pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer and common assault at Barrow Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. The man has been jailed after impersonating a police officer and attempting to “arrest” a woman.
Wearing a
blue lanyard with “police” written on the strap, Gary Shepherd, 44, approached
the woman in a car park in Barrow at around 6.30pm on Tuesday and told her he
was arresting her for drug dealing, Cumbria Police said.
But a
member of the public responded to her request for help, and Shepherd left the
scene when they both challenged him, according to police.
He had
initially denied being in the area of Greengate car park, but in his second
police interview claimed his actions had been a “joke”, police said.
He was
jailed for 22 weeks, fined £85 and ordered to pay costs of £128, the force
said, adding that magistrates had activated a previously suspended four-week
prison sentence.
It comes
less than a week after a whole-life sentence was handed to Wayne Couzens, the
Metropolitan Police officer who was revealed to have used the guise of Covid
laws to falsely detain 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who he went on to rape and
murder before burning her body in an area of woodland he owned near Ashford,
Kent.
Superintendent
for South Cumbria, Matt Pearman, said on Thursday: “To be approached in this
way by someone falsely claiming to be a police officer must have been extremely
frightening for the victim, particularly coming so soon after the sentencing of
Wayne Couzens last week.
“Our
officers recognised the seriousness of this incident swiftly and were able to
quickly arrest Shepherd, who, less than 48 hours after the initial incident, is
now starting a significant prison sentence.”
Everard’s
disappearance on 3 March as she walked home in Clapham, south London, sparked a
national conversation about women’s safety in their everyday lives, and how
male violence, harassment and sexual offences are policed and punished in the
UK.
Amid some
calls for the resignation of Scotland Yard Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, the
home secretary Priti Patel said the killing had “exposed unimaginable failures
in policing” and announced an inquiry into the failures that allowed Couzens to
remain a police officer, and “wider issues across policing”.
Meanwhile,
as pressure mounted on the Met to explain how they will regain women’s trust,
the London police force issued extraordinary new advice for women who fear a
male police officer might not be genuine, suggesting they call 999 or “shout
out to a passer-by, run into a house or wave a bus down” for help.
North of
the border, Police Scotland announced a new process for members of the public
to confirm the identities of lone officers, which Cumbria Police also said it
would be adopting on Thursday, as Shepherd was sentenced.
Officers will provide their collar number to anyone who asks and will contact the control room on the police radio to confirm their identity, location, that they are on duty and the reason they are speaking to someone, the force announced on Thursday.
Chief
Constable Michelle Skeer said: “The facts of how Sarah Everard died have
shocked and appalled us all. It is truly horrifying that a police officer could
abuse their position and their powers to carry out such abhorrent crimes.
“We fully
understand that this has impacted confidence in policing and may also cause
concerns for others when they encounter a lone police officer.
“All of
our police officers carry a Cumbria Constabulary identification card. However,
we absolutely recognise our responsibility to introduce an additional means of
verification to provide further reassurance to anyone, including women who may
feel vulnerable.
“This new
verification process will hopefully reassure people that when they encounter
one of our officers, they are speaking to an officer who is carrying out a
legitimate and professional policing response.”
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