An Ellon man has admitted impersonating a police officer – complete with warrant card and uniform – to impress three different women he was seeing over the course of more than a year and a half.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that John Chalmers, 44, pretended to be a serving police for more than a year in order to impress women he was dating – even flashing a shiny badge and handcuffs to keep up the ruse.
Chalmers was able to fool three partners into believing he was a north-east cop by wearing police clothing and flaunting a warrant card between February 1 2020 and October 14 2021.
He was only caught when one woman became suspicious and reported him to the real police.
Accused claimed badge and handcuffs had been issued by Police Scotland
Fiscal depute Christine Brownlee told the court that during the course of one relationship Chalmers told his girlfriend he was a special police constable for Police Scotland and presented handcuffs and a silver badge.
While in another relationship with a second woman, Chalmers turned up at his partner’s flat wearing police clothing and showed her his warrant card.
He was finally caught out in October this year when a third woman he was dating saw handcuffs in his car after he had sent her pictures of himself wearing a police uniform.
Ms Brownlee said: “The accused formed a relationship with the complainer in the charge and on October 14 police traced the accused with her.
“She said that they had just met but was informed by the accused that he was a serving police officer.
“She had seen handcuffs in the vehicle they had been travelling in together to the locus and she had also been sent images of the accused in a police officer’s uniform.
“It was this woman who then contacted the police about the matter.”
Chalmers was then cautioned and charged by police for impersonating an officer.
He appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to three charges of impersonating a police officer.
The charges detailed that he had been in possession of a warrant card, a police badge, handcuffs and clothing that he claimed had been issued by Police Scotland.
‘These mistakes are the biggest in his life’
Defence agent Andrew Ormiston told the court that “harm was certainly caused” by Chalmers towards the three women who he led to believe that he was “something other than what he was”.
He added: “Other than that, the impact of his behaviour is limited.
“It is not uncommon for people to perhaps exaggerate their own circumstances when seeking to impress others.
“The problem for Mr Chalmers is that he has gone way too far – and particularly to use a profession that is protected by statute.
“He has a low regard for himself and he needed to perhaps exaggerate his own circumstances in order to impress others and to secure attachment with those he was engaged with.”
Mr Ormiston said that Chalmers accepted “full responsibility” and was “remorseful” for his behaviour.
He added that the 44-year old – whose address was given in court papers as Hospital Close, Ellon but who the court heard is moving to Skene Square, Aberdeen – considered these offences to be the “biggest mistakes of his life”.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told Chalmers: “I can’t really regard these offences as completely trivial because you repeated them.
“And who knows where they would have ended if the complainers hadn’t actually contacted the police.
“But I take into account that you have been assessed as a low risk to the public”.
Sheriff Hodge sentenced Chalmers to a community payback order with supervision for six months.
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