Special constable, 24, who stole a body bag, batons and warrant cards from ... trends now
A special constable who stole police equipment including a body bag, batons and warrant cards has been jailed for 12 months.
Toby Biginton, a 24-year-old Special Constable and Acting Sergeant, took the equipment from multiple police stations where he worked as a civilian employee.
Croydon Crown Court heard that £3,268 worth of stolen equipment was found in his home including police radios, keys and computer equipment amongst his collection of Police Academy DVD's and box sets of The Bill television series.
Judge Deborah Charles said: 'You don't take these to add to your collection of police memorabilia. A bodybag is not a collectable item.
'There is no evidence you used these items for a nefarious purpose, but having said that I heard your evidence and found it troubling and the jury were right to reject your explanation.
Toby Biginton, a 24-year-old Special Constable and Acting Sergeant, took the equipment from multiple police stations where he worked as a civilian employee
'I cannot come to a conclusion about what you intended to do with some of these items,' the judge told the first-time offender, who became a first-time father to a daughter three weeks ago.
'I can't think of any good reason why anybody would have a bodybag and the jury rejected your explanation that you took it home by accident.
'I accept there is no evidence you did anything nefarious with that item, but it is the potential opening of the door to other crimes that concerns me.'
Biginton, from Orpington in Kent, was convicted of six counts of theft between August 1, 2020 and September 10, 2021, plus two counts of possessing police batons as offensive weapons on September 10, 2021.
He was a police civilian employee, working with the custody services team responsible for ordering and supplying uniforms to the Metropolitan Police and was a representative for special constables under investigation.
Biginton was sacked from his civilian job with the Met on August 31 last year and dismissed from his special constable role on December 16, 2023.
Prosecutor Shekinah Anson said: 'This young man was a serving member of police staff, where he was a Team Leader and was also a volunteer special constable and supervisor, with the rank of sergeant.
'Police officers attended the address he shares with his grandmother and during a search they recovered items of property belonging to the Metropolitan Police Service.
Croydon Crown Court heard that £3,268 worth of stolen equipment was found in Biginton's home including police radios, keys and computer equipment amongst his collection of Police Academy DVD's and box sets of The Bill television series
'The Crown say he was dishonest and had these items without authority or permission and without the knowledge of his line manager.
'Mr Biginton did not have the authority to have these items in his possession and he did not tell anybody or record that he had these
