A man pretended to be a police officer, flashing blue lights at a lone female driver and pulling her over after she ‘annoyed’ him with her driving, a court was told. Chris Green, 31, targeted the woman on a remote country land - and went to her window to tell her she was driving dangerously.
The frightening incident happened in a quiet country lane near Corsham, Wilts on May 6, Swindon Magistrates Court was told. He told the woman he worked for ‘law enforcement’ and was ‘undercover’. However then Green noticed the woman’s child was also in the car - and the court was told he changed his tone and quickly left.
The victim said the stop felt “bizarre and weird” and said she was ‘’uncomfortable” throughout the interaction. The incident was reported to the police after she informed her husband.
Green, a security guard, pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer at Swindon Magistrates Court. Prosecutor Keith Ballinger said he was driving at about 30mph in a 60mph zone when the woman overtook him. Green was arrested two days later.
And Mr Ballinger said police found handcuffs in his car door pocket and a baseball bat in his boot.
In an interview in custody, the defendant, of Peterborough, said he was in the area because he was working as security at a horse event. Liz Highams, defending, described it as an “unusual situation” for a man with no previous convictions.
She said her client now accepts that he switched on the blue lights, which he has in his vehicle for security work when he’s on private land. She told the court that the father-of-three young children was angry with the woman’s driving and wanted to remonstrate with her.
He did not intentionally impersonate a police officer and the handcuffs are used for security work and he is trained to use them, she said. Presiding justice Christine Smith said: “It was all quite sinister.
‘’For all intents and purposes, she was alone. You took her down a lane and you had weapons in the car, and a means to restrain her. When you saw her child you backed away from her.”
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report. Green - who was crying in the dock - was released on bail with a GPS-tagged curfew condition. He must remain home between 7pm and 7am daily.
He is due to appear for sentencing at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on July 5.
Det Insp Matt Smith said: “This was understandably a very unsettling incident for the woman involved, and will no doubt cause concern within the local community. ’I am pleased that the victim called police immediately which enabled us to locate the vehicle quickly and arrest Green, and seize items from his vehicle as part of our investigation.
“We’d urge anyone who may feel unsure whether a person they are dealing with is a genuine police officer to call us on 101 to check their identity immediately. If a crime is in progress, call 999. We’d also urge anyone with further information about this incident, or who thinks they have been victim to a similar incident, to call the police on 101.”
