Police officer avoids jail after spinning web of lies to friend

COURT: Unpaid work for shamed stalker who could be booted off force

A police officer who posed as an oil industry executive in a bid to dupe a colleague into quitting her role with the force has been spared jail.

PC Amanda Reilly, 31, from Tayport, Fife, spun a web of lies that saw Laura McWhirter believe she was going to be accepted for a highly paid job offshore.

The pair met at Police Scotland’s treatment centre in Auchterader, Perthshire, in 2016 and struck up a friendship.

Miss McWhirter, 32, told Reilly she was not happy with her job as a constable and wanted to change career.

Reilly told her she had previously worked as an accountant in Aberdeen and knew a businessman called Peter Aird, who runs Kingdom Drilling.

Over the next five months, she lied to her colleague that she was setting up meetings with Mr Aird and arranging for Miss McWhirter to get a new job.

She faked dozens of emails from Mr Aird which led to Miss McWhirter attending for medicals in Aberdeen as well as learning to swim for offshore safety believing she was going to take up the post.

Reilly even convinced her colleague to buy an expensive car costing £319 per month because of the increased wages she would be making in the oil industry.

However, Miss McWhirter became suspicious and uncovered Reilly’s deception after she managed to contact the real Peter Aird on Facebook.

Reilly appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted stalking Miss McWhirter between May and September 2016.

She has now been sentenced to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work by Sheriff Daniel Kelly QC as a direct alternative to custody.

She is also facing disciplinary proceedings which could see her sacked from the force.

The court heard Miss McWhirter’s brother also completed offshore training after being told by Reilly she could also get him a job.

The lies started to unravel when Miss McWhirter could not speak directly to Mr Aird.

A message was sent on Facebook to the real Peter Aird who revealed he had no knowledge of Miss McWhirter or Reilly and had not offered anybody a job.

A meeting between the pair saw Reilly confess to making the whole thing up and she was reported to police bosses.

Miss McWhirter discovered what was going on before handing in her resignation but has since left Police Scotland, where she had worked for eight years.

Jamie Devine, defending, said: “She recognises her conduct was wrong and is deeply remorseful for that.

“She remains in the force but I understand disciplinary action follows the conclusion of criminal proceedings.”

Sentencing Reilly, Sheriff Kelly told her: “There were unusual circumstances in this and it was not like any that have come before the court as far as I’m aware.

“It has clearly had an impact upon Laura McWhirter and that was over a continual period in 2016.

“It did mean she had to go through a number of processes and she would’ve no doubt felt aggrieved at the conclusion.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the outcome of this case and a report will be made to the deputy chief constable for consideration of misconduct proceedings.”

Speaking after Reilly was convicted, Miss McWhirter said: “I thought she was my pal but the whole thing was just a lie from start to finish.

“You don’t expect someone in the police to behave like this and I still don’t know why she decided to pick on me.

“When it all came out I was left questioning if she was even in the police force because of the lies she told me.

“It is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever heard and I can’t believe it happened to me.

“I thought I was going to have this great new job and was pretty close to handing in my notice when this all came out.”

“You don’t expect someone in the police to behave like this... I still don’t know why she picked on me. LAURA MCWHIRTER

PC Amanda Reilly pled guilty to stalking a female colleague.