A police officer who dishonestly scanned a seven pence barcode for carrots to get a £9.95 box of Krispy Kreme donuts has been sacked for gross misconduct.
PC Simon Read claimed at a disciplinary hearing that he made an honest mistake at the self-service tills at Tesco Extra in Wisbech, but the panel ruled that his explanation was "lacking in credibility".
The Cambridgeshire Police officer was in uniform when he purchased four items from the store - the tray of 12 donuts, the carrots, a sandwich and a drink - on February 10 this year.
He scanned the carrots barcode twice and failed to scan the donuts barcode, paying around £4 for the items instead of about £14.
A manager at Tesco later alerted police to reports of a "suspicious police officer at its store" and the matter was investigated, Thursday's hearing in Peterborough was told.
Sharmistha Michaels, chair of the disciplinary panel, said: "On the balance of probabilities we are satisfied that PC Read did intentionally scan the wrong barcode."
PC Read claimed he had not checked the screen of the self-service till, but CCTV showed him looking at it to select his method of payment, Ms Michaels said.
The officer had stuck the carrots barcode to the donuts box, on the same side as its barcode, she said.
The panel concluded that Pc Read breached professional standards of honesty and integrity and that this amounted to gross misconduct.
Ms Michaels said PC Read's actions were "incompatible with his role as a police officer" and he was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.
Lawyer Mark Ley-Morgan, who set out the misconduct case, said it was "an officer effectively stealing while in uniform".
Carolina Bracken, Pc Read's lawyer, said he had an "unblemished career" before the incident and was involved in Donald Trump's visit to Blenheim Palace and several royal weddings while serving with Thames Valley Police from 2008.
After the hearing Cambridgeshire's deputy chief constable Jane Gyford said: “We expect the highest standards from our officers, but PC Read’s conduct has been found to have fallen short of our expectations."
PC Read has a right to appeal against the panel's decision.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here