Met officer facing jail after stealing £1,500 from Stoke Newington police station safe
A Metropolitan Police officer is facing jail after stealing £1,500 from a safe at an east London police station.
Bradley Francis, 35, from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Francis pleaded guilty last month to theft by employee after stealing approximately £1,500 from a safe at Stoke Newington Police Station on April 12 this year.
Prosecutor Jordan Pratt told the court: "The defendant was a serving police officer at the time of this offence.
"£1,500 in cash was in the safe at Stoke Newington Police Station.
"The only person who had access to that safe was Pc Francis."
Mr Pratt said CCTV footage showed Francis "acting suspiciously" on the day the cash disappeared and £1,500 was paid into his bank account shortly afterwards.
The court heard that the cash was public money which was part of an ongoing intent to supply investigation.
Mr Pratt argued that as a police officer Francis held a position of "high trust and responsibility".
"A police officer would be held to a higher regard as the work they do is to hold up the rule of law," he said.
'Loss of trust'
District Judge Louisa Cieciora said the starting point for sentencing would be two years in prison due to the risk of “reputational damage” to the Met Police force.
Ms Cieciora said she therefore she did not have sufficient sentencing powers at the magistrates’ court.
"In terms of level of harm, it is the loss of trust that I’m focusing on," she said.
"If the money had been private money that would have been slightly different but it was public money."
She continued: "I am not satisfied on the information that this court has sufficient sentencing powers.
"I’m going to commit this matter for sentence."
Ms Cieciora sent the case to Southwark Crown Court for sentencing on November 7.
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