A Bradford bobby has been jailed for nine months after being found guilty of stealing £700 from the life savings of an elderly widow while advising her on crime prevention.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court took just over half an hour to find Kenneth Davies guilty of theft.

Judge Robert Taylor described the offence as a "grave breach of trust".

Davies, 44, of Lea Field Crescent, Eccleshill, now faces internal disciplinary proceedings and is likely to lose his job.

Sentencing Davies, Judge Taylor said: "It was a very serious offence which involved a grave breach of trust and taking advantage of an elderly and vulnerable person who was looking to you to advise and protect her.

"I accept it wasn't a planned offence, it was very much spur of the moment and an isolated offence. But it was an extremely serious offence as you undoubtedly must appreciate."

During his three-day trial the jury heard that Davies took £700 from a tin great-grandmother Doris Midwood used to keep her life savings in while advising her on how to keep them safe.

Giving her evidence from a wheelchair Mrs Midwood, who is now 84, said the community constable for Windhill had called on her last January and took the money while advising her on home security.

Officers from West Yorkshire's Discipline and Complaints team found the money secreted in Davies' clothing when they went to search his house a few days later.

Giving evidence Shipley-based Davies, who is married with two daughters and joined the force in 1992, said he remembered moving the money from the tin. But he said he had never planned to steal the money and had intended returning it but had never got a chance.

Yesterday Consultant psychiatrist Dr Lorenzo Pieri said Davies had been suffering from a depressive illness for up to 16 months which could have impaired his judgement and led him to do things he would not normally do.

The judge said he had taken into account Davies' previous exemplary good record, the fact he had been suffering from depression and the hardship his family would face as a consequence of his conviction, in giving him a substantially lower sentence than he would have otherwise have got. But he said there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.

Following the case Mrs Midwood's son, Bradford Councillor Barry Midwood, 58, said: "We are pleased that she had all her statements confirmed. It was extremely difficult 12 months ago for an 84-year-old woman to say a community constable had stolen from her when he had the reputation that Ken Davies had."

After the sentencing, Superintendent Phil Read of West Yorkshire's Discipline and Complaints team said: "Occurrences such as these are very sad but thankfully extremely rare."

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