Met. Policeman Stole From Dead Man

Our old friends, the Metropolitan Police, have revealed themselves to be harbouring another fine criminal - sorry, police officer - in the shape of the highly ethical Craig Carter - pictured left, trying to hide his identity.  Carter, aged 51, of Harlow, Essex, was jailed for sixteen months after stealing about £115 from a man he found lying dead on the ground.  In September, 2022, he had been called to attend to an incident where Italian actor and filmmaker Claudio Gaetani had fallen off his bicycle and died whilst cycling in north London.  Carter collected personal items, including a wallet, from the stricken man, reporting that there were six pounds and six euros, along with some loose change, in Gaetani's possession.  However, Gaetani's family suggested that money was missing from his wallet, and footage from Carter's own body-worn camera captured him counting-out over £100, which he slipped into his own pocket.  Of course, this was a despicable act of profiting from a vulnerable person, but - given Carter's previous good character (he was a family man with a 23-year unblemished record as a police officer) - one has to ask why he was imprisoned at all, given that he was highly unlikely to be a danger to the public.  Surely, a large fine and some community service would be more appropriate for a non-dangerous offender, particularly with the current problems of prison overcrowding.