A former policeman rang 999 from a railway station and said he was carrying guns and had just carried out an armed robbery, a court has heard. Gareth Walters also told the call handler he wanted officers to come to the station and shoot him.
Shortly before making the call Walters – who has a commendation from his time in uniform – had stolen a bottle of wine from a petrol station and had flashed a realistic-looking handgun at the shop worker who had challenged him. Cardiff Crown Court heard Walters' life unravelled after leaving the force and alcohol had "completely taken over".
Martha Smith-Higgins, prosecuting, said that on the evening of August 22 last year Walters went to the shop at the Texaco petrol station in Coychurch Road in Pencoed and walked out with lemonade, a chocolate bar, and a bottle of wine. The shop worker recognised Walters as someone suspected of previously stealing items from the shelves and followed him out of the shop to challenge him. The court heard the defendant turned around to face his victim, lifted his T-shirt to reveal the handle of handgun in a holster, and told the employee: "Don't come. Go back inside or I'll shoot." The shop worker returned to the shop and called his boss to tell him what had happened.
