The police officer who scanned a 7p barcode for carrots to purchase a £9.95 box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts has been sacked for gross misconduct, following a disciplinary hearing.
PC Simon Read, who was in uniform at the time, purchased a tray of 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, carrots, a sandwich and a drink from Tesco Extra in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, earlier this year.
However, he failed to scan the barcode for the box of doughnuts, instead scanning the carrots twice.
Advert
Read claimed the incident on 10 February had been an honest mistake, but a panel ruled his version of events was 'lacking in credibility'.
The two-day hearing, which began yesterday (25 November), heard how a manager at Tesco alerted police to reports of a 'suspicious police officer at its store'.
Sharmistha Michaels, who chaired the panel, said: "On the balance of probabilities we are satisfied that PC Read did intentionally scan the wrong barcode."
Advert
Michaels said the officer - of Cambridgeshire Police - had attached the barcode for the carrots onto the box for the doughnuts.
She added that Read claimed he hadn't checked the screen on the self-service till, but CCTV footage showed him glancing at it when selecting his method of payment.
Michaels argued if he had intended to pay the correct price for his shopping, he would have been able to check he'd scanned the right barcode - and if it had been a genuine mistake, as claimed, he had opportunities to put it right, including the moment his contactless payment failed and he had to resort to chip and pin.
Advert
Lawyer Mark Ley-Morgan said Read was 'an officer effectively stealing while in uniform', adding: "He was using his uniform as cover."
Carolina Bracken, defending, said Read had an 'unblemished career' before the incident, stating he had been involved in policing Donald Trump's visit to Blenheim Palace and several royal weddings while serving with Thames Valley Police previously.
"Who would be suspicious of a police officer?" Bracken asked.
Advert
In the end, the panel concluded that Read had breached professional standards of honesty and integrity - amounting to gross misconduct.
"The officer's behaviour has undermined public confidence in the police," Michaels said, adding that Read's actions were 'incompatible with his role as a police officer' and that he was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.
Read has a right to appeal against the panel's decision.
Featured Image Credit: PA