Man wore eBay police uniform to scare his mother's ex
A man living in a 'fantasy land' posed as a police officer to scare off his mother's former partner, a court heard.
Kieran Masser, 24, wore a police uniform he had bought from eBay and told his mother's ex-partner to stop messaging her, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
Masser believed that Lawrence Davies had been harassing his mother with text messages.
Mr Howard Searle, prosecuting, told the court that when Masser's mother and Mr Davies met to hand over their son for a weekend visit, he got out of the car and approached Mr Davies.
Mr Searle said: "He felt that Mr Davies had been sending inappropriate messages to his mother and wanted to scare him off.
"He had bought the uniform from eBay and had a friend who had embroidered his name onto it for effect.
"He had bought the CS gas with him to complete the uniform."
Mr Searle told the court that Masser said he was a special with the police force and told Mr Davies to stop messaging his mother.
The ruse did not work as Mr Davies knew Masser was not a special constable, and Mr Adrian Stephens, for Masser, saying his client would have to be living in a fantasy world to believe that it would work.
Mr Davies' current partner alerted the police to Masser.
Masser admitted impersonating a police officer and possessing a CS gas canister.
He was ordered to carry out 60 hours unpaid work.
Mr Stephens, for Masser, said: "He didn't have the CS gas on him at the time.
"The whole thing is the sort of thing you would expect to see on a TV prank show.
"It's ludicrous for him to think that someone who knew him so well would believe that he was a police officer.
"There was a long-term conflict and he became concerned for his mother and for himself in what he perceived to be continuing harassment by texts.
"He is a young man who is already doing charity work."
He was arrested at his home where police found items of police clothing, and also attended his mother's address where they found a CS gas canister.
Judge John Wait said: "The concern here is not the fact he had the uniform and approached Mr Davies.
"The concern is that other people at the restaurant may have thought that he was actually a police officer.
"The possession of CS gas is normally a very serious offence, but it is accepted in this case that it had been bought as part of the uniform."
