Police officer denies organising robbery

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A SUSPENDED police officer will stand trial after he denied trying to organise a jewellery heist.

Dustin Hunter, of Budgen Close, Pound Hill, pleaded not guilty to four charges relating to assisting a robbery and stealing police uniforms.

Hunter, who was a constable for Surrey Police until he was suspended from duty last year, denied encouraging or assisting the robbery of Decorus jewellers, in Oxted, Surrey, from January 27 to March 20, 2010.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, he also denied stealing two police hats, two jackets and a Surrey Police badge on February 2, 2010, stealing a Royal Mail uniform on February 23, 2010, and stealing two police polo shirts on March 10, 2010. Hunter was arrested at Clacketts Lane service station on the M25 on March 20 this year, following an intelligence-led investigation.

The 29-year-old, who used to be based at Banstead Police Station, was remanded in custody.

Michael Boardman, defending, and prosecutor Simon Edwards heard Judge Tom Longbotham adjourn the case until July 26, when a date is expected to be set for a trial.

The jewellers, Decorus, based in Station Road East, Oxted, has been targeted in the past in separate and completely unrelated incidents.

Shop workers were tied up and threatened during an armed raid in April 2008.

On this occasion, four men from south London were convicted of robbery and jailed for between six and 10 years.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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A CORRUPT former Surrey Police officer who stole uniforms and helped to plan what he thought was going to be a robbery at an Oxted jewellers has been jailed for seven years.

Dustin Hunter, 30, was given a five-year sentence after admitting encouraging or assisting with an offence and two years for a separate count of possessing a controlled class B drug with intent to supply.

The sentences will run consecutively while a five-month prison term for three counts of theft relating to police uniforms will be allowed to run concurrently.

Hunter was arrested on March 20 this year at Clacket Lane services on the M25 following an investigation by the police’s Professional Standards Department.

Harrow Crown Court heard on Monday that he had been involved in the police investigation into an attempted raid on Decorus jewellers in Station Road, Oxted, in 2008.

Having been contacted by an undercover officer who introduced himself as ‘John’, the former PC - who was already on bail accused of possessing cannabis - provided details of the investigation including police response times and floor plans.

He later stole Surrey Police and Royal Mail uniforms to be used in a robbery, which he sold to ‘John’ for £500.

Hunter was waiting at the motorway service station having been told the raid at Decorus had been a success and that £300,000 of jewellery had been stolen, whereas in actual fact no such robbery had taken place.

"Abhorrent"

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Simon Massey said that the defendant had “damaged the reputation of the police by his actions".

He added: “What makes the actions of Dustin Hunter particularly abhorrent is that he was prepared to use information obtained as a police officer to assist in the planning of a further robbery at the same premises."

Michael Boardman, defending, argued that his client had tried to distance himself from the operation and encouraged his accomplices to do likewise.

“He did attempt to withdraw [from the robbery],” he commented. “It was only after he was encouraged and persuaded by John and, with a lot more aggression, by Nick, that he decided to stay.”

Mr Boardman also pointed out that the media attention surrounding the case would make it very hard for his client to hide the fact that he was a former police officer from fellow inmates.

“Because he was a police officer, his period in prison is going to be significantly more tough than it would be for someone who wasn’t,” he added.

Hunter, of Crawley in West Sussex, who has almost £20,000 worth of debt to his name and few assets, was also recorded discussing future ‘targets’ for the gang including known drug dealers who would be “unlikely to report anything".

At the time of his arrest he was already on bail and suspended from Surrey Police after being found with almost 1kg of cannabis in January of this year.

Hunter, who had been on the force for 11 years and was based at Banstead police station, was awarded a Chief Constable’s Commendation for bravery in 2007 and was considered a man of good character prior to his initial arrest.

Summing up, Mr Recorder Michael Caplan QC said: “I would be failing in my public duty if I did not pass down a sentence of some considerable length.

“You showed complete contempt for law and order which you, as a police officer, are sworn to uphold.”

[DGP1]

It's nice to have my confidence in the police confirmed

[Straight4ward]

Just quoting from my copy of Policing Surrey

"Indeed, according to a recent countrywide survey, 85.3% of Surrey residents surveyed told us they are confident in the police in their neighbourhood." (Presumably the other 14.7% lived in Banstead or Oxted.)

"Furthermore, the recently published Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) Report shows Surrey Police to be one of the best performing forces in the country." Hubris, don't you just love it.

[johnsouthwales]

http://www.thisissussex.co.uk/news/Poli ... ticle.html

A SUSPENDED police officer will stand trial after he denied trying to organise a jewellery heist.

Dustin Hunter, of Budgen Close, Pound Hill, pleaded not guilty to four charges relating to assisting a robbery and stealing police uniforms.

Hunter, who was a constable for Surrey Police until he was suspended from duty last year, denied encouraging or assisting the robbery of Decorus jewellers, in Oxted, Surrey, from January 27 to March 20, 2010.

On this occasion, four men from south London were convicted of robbery and jailed for between six and 10 years.

excuse me for being thick, but how can someone be charged for assisting the robbery when no robbery took place..

after all that flaffing about, no sodding robbery took place lol.. ok, it was a sting to root out rogue cops and all that.. ok, charge him with assisting in the planning of the robbery, obtaining uniforms etc.. glad nobody was hurt then.

[johnsouthwales]

ok, if things weren't bad enough, apparently the undercover cops actually encouraged the robbery by leaning on the officer to stay in the gang.

and.......have the cops been charged for receiving stolen items?