Suffolk police officer Jonathan Waller who worked at Mildenhall Police Station struck off for stealing dead person's cash and belongings

A Suffolk police officer has been struck off after being found to have stolen £230 in cash and the personal items of someone who had recently died from constabulary storage.

PC Jonathan Waller, who was based at Mildenhall Police Station when the items went missing, had been appearing before a misconduct panel at Portman Road Stadium, in Ipswich, since Monday.

Lawyer Andrew Waters, appearing for Suffolk Police, alleged on Monday that on August 8, 2020, PC Waller, 47, entered the property storage cupboard at Mildenhall Police Station and took a wallet containing bank cards and £230 cash.

Also missing was a mobile phone and passport, all of which belonged to someone who had died the day before.

At the hearing today, chair for the panel, Mr John Bassett, said the allegations had been proven to be true which amounted to gross misconduct, adding PC Waller would be dismissed from his role.

Before this, a victim impact statement was read out to the hearing from a relative of the deceased which said the stolen money would have been used to pay for their funeral, adding they 'could not believe that a police officer could do that'.

Mr Waters said the incident was a 'most egregious' offence.

On Monday, Mr Waters suggested PC Waller was suffering 'financial difficulties' at the time of the items going missing.

The panel heard there had been email communications between Mr Waller, who worked for Suffolk Police for 19 years, and a charity offering grants to police officers in which he inquired about his eligibility.

Although the police officer agreed he did have debts, he said he would not agree he was in difficulties at the time.

Mr Waters also stated that mobile phone location data shows the phone left the station at the same time Mr Waller did that day, around 4.51pm, and could be tracked along the A11 towards Elveden, which was the officer’s typical route back to his home in Honington.

Mr Waller, who was represented by solicitor Christopher Hopkins, denied all allegations made against him.

He told the panel he had special knowledge of how to understand mobile phone data and had been on a course on the topic so, had he been the one who stole the phone, he would have known how to make it untraceable.

He admitted to entering the property storage room once that day to get an item for a member of public who had come to collect it, but said he did not return to the room after this.

He said he did not remember seeing the items in the property store at this time and described the room as 'quite chaotic'.

Mr Waller also discussed security measures in the station at the time, making reference to the rear door ‘often’ being left on the latch while officers were unloading things from their car or having a cigarette, as well as the front door being left open on occasion.

He also said the key cupboard and property storage room itself was, on the day in question, left unlocked and wide open.

He told the panel that the accusations made 'no sense' to him.

“I do and always have cherished the job that I have done and therefore I can’t fathom why I would do anything to jeopardise that,” Mr Waller said.