Undercover Welsh cop who switched number plates on his Vauxhall Corsa in bid to avoid £60 fine for doing 35mph in a 30 zone is jailed

An undercover police officer who tried to dodge a £60 speeding ticket by swapping his car number plates has been jailed for three months.

Detective Constable Anthony Rees-Thompson was caught on a speed camera doing 35mph in a 30mph zone in Swansea, Wales.

But instead of paying the penalty, the officer, 40, wrote to the speed camera unit saying there had been a technical error or that another similar car was using the same registration number.

The father-of-four sent in photographs of his silver Vauxhall Corsa with new plates, bought for £21 online.

Speed camera officials compared the photographs and noticed the plates had the same digits but the new ones had been customised with a blue GB sign and the Welsh flag.

But the court heard Rees-Thompson forgot that his car was being filmed every day as he drove it into police headquarters in Bridgend - and his force's own HQ CCTV was used to catch him.

A court heard he now faces being sacked and losing more than £100,000 in pension rights - all over the £60 lie.

Prosecutor Meirion Davies said: 'He chose to cheat the legal process with a deliberate deception. 'He fitted different plates and took photographs to deliberately mislead those who were investigating the speeding offence.'

Rees-Thompson, of Abercrave, Swansea, denied perverting the course of justice claiming he changed the plates because they were damaged.

Jonathan Elystan Rees, defending, asked for him to receive a suspended prison sentence to avoid being attacked in prison. Mr Rees said: 'He has served 11 years as a police officer of an impeccable record.

'As a former serving police officer he can be expected to be a risk in all sorts of ways while serving in custody - threats to his mental and also his physical wellbeing.'

Jailing him for three months at Newport Crown Court, Judge David Wynn Morgan told Rees-Thompson: 'This type of offence strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system.

'The purpose of the points system is those who drive badly get punished and it discourages bad driving. 'The system depends on the honest completion of the relevant forms and the dishonest completion of forms is all to easy to do.

'Yours wasn't a panic reaction - it was a carefully considered and thought out course of action.

'The alteration of this vehicles appearance and correspondence that went with it was a calculated demonstration of your bare-faced dishonesty and arrogant belief that you could get away with it.

'Nevertheless, this is a tragedy. You have lost your employment, your reputation and because your self esteem is evidently based on your occupation and profession you obviously have suffered a huge blow.'

He will now lose his job in the covert management department of South Wales Police and his pension rights.

As he was taken down, Judge Morgan told the prison officers: 'Police officers are not to escape offences of this nature. 'But I do ask that all appropriate precautions are taken for his safety in custody.'

Tim Jones, Head of Professional Standards at South Wales Police, said: 'We note the sentencing of Detective Constable Anthony Rees-Thompson and the decision of the court today. 'DC Rees-Thompson will now be subject to a fast track gross misconduct process chaired by the Chief Constable.

'South Wales Police Anti-Corruption unit fully investigated the fraudulent activities of DC Rees-Thompson which led to his conviction. 'We expect the highest standards of professional conduct from all members of staff, and will not tolerate individuals who undermine the committed public service of their professional colleagues.'

Original report here

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