Police impersonator escapes jail term
A MAN who impersonated a police officer to terrify two young boys has escaped a prison sentence after a court heard he suffers from a serious personality disorder.
A MAN who impersonated a police officer to terrify two young boys has escaped a prison sentence after a court heard he suffers from a serious personality disorder.
Sudbury magistrates heard how Christopher Addison, 27, grabbed one of the boys and tried to pull the youngster towards his car, after saying he was a police officer investigating an offence of criminal damage.
Prosecutor Adele Cook told the court how Addison, of Quinton Road, Newmarket, left one of the boys so shocked that he now finds it difficult to leave his home alone.
Mrs Cook told how Addison pulled up next to the boys in his red Ford Escort on Ipswich Road, Bramford, in September last year.
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He told both boys, aged 11 and 12, he was a police officer investigating a complaint of criminal damage. He asked for the boys' addresses and wrote them down in a notebook.
In a police statement one of the boys said Addison became annoyed when he said he wasn't on the telephone. He claimed Addison jumped out of his Escort and tried to force his arms behind his back, before attempting to drag him towards his car.
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Mrs Cook added that Addison got in his car and drove off when he noticed two 15-year-old girls had witnessed the incident.
The court also heard how both boys were left crying and shaken by the ordeal, one to such an extent he now finds it difficult to go out of his home alone.
Mitigating, Nick Wray said Addison, who pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer and putting the boys in fear of provocation and violence, was remorseful.
He said: "In no way does Mr Addison attempt to diminish the seriousness of this offence and he recognises the distress caused to the young boys."
He added that Addison suffers from a personality disorder and was having on-going psychiatric assessments and was also being tested to see if he suffers from a form of autism.
Addison was sentenced to a two-year community rehabilitation order and told to pay each boy £75 in compensation. He was also ordered to pay £55 court costs.
