Dishonest Fakenham PCSO took Girls Aloud tickets
A POLICE Community Support Officer escaped an immediate jail term after she helped herself to tickets from a bin at a Girls Aloud concert and gave them to a friend to use.
Teresa May was working as a PCSO at the pop group's sell-out concert at Holkham Hall last August, when she took used tickets from a bin at the entrance gate and gave them to Alison Hannam, who used them for herself and her two daughters to get in.
Another friend, Michelle Smid, tried to cover up the offence by lying to police that she had bought the tickets, but gave them away when she realised she couldn't travel that day.
But the offending trio, all from Fakenham, were handed 17-week jail sentences, suspended for 18 months, on Monday when their stories to police failed to add up.
May (30), of 17 Churchill Estate, admitted obtaining services by deception and has since been sacked from her Norfolk Constabulary job.
Hannam (39), of 102 Greenway Lane, and Smid (38), of 9 Horns Row, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.
All three were ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work in the community. May and Smid, who manages a hairdresser's, were also ordered to pay 350 costs and Hannam 250 costs, as she has also since lost her job.
Malcolm Robbins, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said security guards had put tickets in bins after a rush of people towards the entrance gates during the concert on August 31.
May was spotted removing the tickets, but insisted at the time she had been given them.
She later said she had taken the tickets to get them autographed by Girls Aloud, but said she had "lost her bottle" and did not get them signed.
Sentencing May, Judge Simon Barham said: "You took the opportunity to remove the tickets and, on the spur of the moment, you decided to give them to Hannam."
He also told Hannam and Smid: "Perverting the course of justice is always regarded as serious as it stabs at the administration of justice."
David Baird, representing May, said she made a "terrible error" that day and was at no risk of re-offending, while Matthew McNiff, representing Hannam, said she was "deeply frightened" as she is now a single mother with no job.
Jonathan Dunne, representing Smid, said she had no recollection of what she did that day, but was the first to admit everything.
Speaking after the case, a police spokesman said: "The conduct of members of the police service affects public confidence in policing and the public have a right to expect the highest standards of conduct from their police service at all times.
"Any conduct which brings discredit upon the service will be rigorously investigated and where proven, will be the subject of proportionate and positive action including criminal charges.
"In this case the conduct of a PCSO fell well below the standards of honesty and integrity expected from all our staff.
"The sentence of the court rightly reflects the seriousness of that conduct."
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
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