Officer spared jail for credit card misuse

A former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) sergeant has been spared jail for misusing his American Express credit card.

John Gallagher claimed that he used the £9,622 to help his homeless teenage daughter, as well as funding his alcohol problem.

He is the third former officer to be sentenced following a managed investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)

On Friday November 21, Mr Gallagher was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 100 hours of community service. In addition, he was given a 12 month probation supervision order and ordered to undergo treatment for alcoholism.

Mr Gallagher has since repaid the full amount.

He was arrested as part of an IPCC managed Directorate of Professional Standards investigation into alleged misuse of corporate American Express cards in December 2007, and subsequently charged in June 2008. He had retired from the MPS at that time.

Two other officers have been charged with the same offence, DC Matt Washington has pleaded not guilty and his trial is due to commence on December 8. Richard de Cadenet pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment.

The Met withdrew 1,400 credit cards last year after finding almost £2m worth of police expenses unaccounted for. That figure dropped to £499,000 in January. An ongoing inquiry is looking into the whereabouts of just over a third of that money.