A police officer has been dismissed from duty after spending nearly £30,000 on supermarket orders and takeouts using his elderly neighbour’s bank card.
A disciplinary panel determined PC Gary Carson, of Merseyside Police, had committed gross misconduct – having exploited the vulnerable woman’s trust over a three-year period between February 2020 and March 2023.
The neighbour, who has since passed away, lived next door to Mr Carson on Heath Road South in Runcorn, Cheshire, and had become “smitten” with the officer, trusting him as her neighbour, the panel heard.
Although the Crown Prosecution Service opted not to pursue criminal charges against Mr Carson, the misconduct panel concluded he had acted “dishonestly” and breached professional standards.
The illicit spending included purchases from Starbucks, McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza, Papa Johns and Uber Eats, alongside a pressure washer, men’s toiletries and gym membership at Pure Gym.
He also used the woman’s card to buy items from Tool Station, My Protein and a website called Police Supplies UK.
Tesco orders alone amounted to a staggering £25,000, covering his family’s grocery shopping over the three-year period.
Most shockingly, evidence presented to the panel found transactions continued over dates when the elderly woman was receiving hospital treatment.
PC Gary Carson, of Merseyside Police, exploited the vulnerable woman’s trust over a three-year period
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The disgraced officer had faced financial difficulties prior to his scheme, with a county court judgement recorded against him in 2013.
The woman had originally given him access to her bank card to establish an online Tesco account, and had permitted him to purchase ice creams for his children.
The neighbour’s daughter visited in 2023 to discover her mother living in appalling conditions, after being estranged for several years before she was hospitalised in 2022.
The ground floor was hidden beneath debris, while areas of flooring smelt of urine and faeces from a blocked toilet, the elderly woman had been forced to use.
Suspicions about Mr Carson first arose when the daughter spotted fuel payments, despite her mother not owning a vehicle
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GETTYShe had been sleeping on the sofa with little food in the house beyond sweets and chocolate.
“She was extremely upset that her mother had been living like that,” the panel’s judgement said.
Suspicions about Mr Carson first arose when the daughter checked her mother’s bank statements while arranging social care, spotting fuel payments despite her mother not owning a vehicle.
Beyond leeching from her, Mr Carson never made a safeguarding referral about his neighbour’s living situation, despite his police training.
The disciplinary panel, led by Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ryan, rejected Mr Carson’s denials and determined his actions were “calculated and premeditated”.
Mr Ryan wrote in the judgement: “The panel considered that PC Carson’s conduct was intentional, deliberate and planned. PC Carson purchased items for the benefit of himself and his family.”
Mr Carson did not appear at the hearing, but submitted a written statement claiming he was “sickened” his efforts to “assist” his neighbour had been “misconstrued”.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sabi Kaur, who heads the force’s Professional Standards Department, said: “He exploited the trust of a vulnerable, elderly woman and – while he may have made purchases requested by the neighbour – went on to buy other items beyond what had been agreed.
“His behaviour was completely unacceptable and risked seriously undermining public confidence in policing.”