A THIEVING policeman has avoided a prison sentence – because he was suffering post traumatic stress when he committed the offence.
PC Michael Purnell, 32, a married dad-of-two, was caught in a sting operation by his own force when they suspected he was being dishonest.
An undercover officer handed PC Purnell a 'lost' rucksack which contained more than £60 and 30 euros in a wallet. But when PC Purnell opened the rucksack in front of his sergeant at his police station later that day the wallet had gone.
Officers later raided his home and found the wallet and the missing cash.
At Gloucester Crown Court yesterday, Purnell, of Watch Elm Close, Bradley Stoke, pleaded guilty to stealing a wallet and contents between January 23 and 27.
After hearing that Purnell was suffering from post traumatic syndrome resulting from attending a triple shooting and then a fatal stabbing last summer Judge William Hart gave him a six-month jail sentence suspended for 15 months.
He also ordered him to do 200 hours of unpaid work.
The judge had been told that Purnell was the first officer to arrive at the scene of a 'violent and fatal stabbing' in June 2011 and then a few days later at the triple shooting.
Afterwards, the defence said, he had counselling through his force and has since been diagnosed as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
The court heard Purnell, who had been a police officer for ten years, resigned from the force after his arrest.
Judge Hart said he hoped the public and Purnell's former colleagues in Avon and Somerset police would understand his decision not to pass an immediate jail term in the circumstances of his mental health.
Lisa Hennessy, prosecuting, said there had been suspicions about his honesty within the police as he had failed to adhere to correct procedures for checking in cash on several occasions.
His bosses decided to conduct a secret 'integrity test' and on January 24 an undercover officer approached PC Purnell in his police car at Lower Cheltenham Place, Montpelier, pretending to be a member of the public.
He said he had found a rucksack and handed it to PC Purnell. It contained an iPad, a multi tool, a phone and a wallet containing coins and notes. All the serial numbers had been recorded.
Later that day, PC Purnell went to a room at Trinity Road police station and suggested to his sergeant that they look inside the bag, said Mrs Hennessy.
She said: "He gave the impression it was the first time he had seen the contents of the rucksack. In fact, the wallet containing the cash was already missing."
Officers later searched PC Purnell's home and found the missing wallet along with the missing notes.
Kate Brunner, defending, said psychiatrists have assessed Purnell as suffering from a 'significant mental illness'.
However Purnell hid his problems from colleagues and family out of a 'sense of embarrassment', she said.
She said: "He was finding it difficult to deal with situations which he used to be able to deal with easily. He was having panic attacks and became tearful and withdrawn."
She added: "He is remorseful, he is highly ashamed. He knew he had done wrong.
"He resigned rather than try to take it to a disciplinary hearing. He understood he had done such wrong that he could no longer be part of the police force."
Judge Hart said he was prepared to give Purnell the benefit of the doubt and accept that he was suffering mentally at the time of the theft.
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