Police impersonators told they face jail
TWO men who impersonated police officers are facing jail after they stopped one of the force’s civilian workers and demanded he hand over his driving licence.
Nile Rashid, 20, and Usman Sarfraz, 21, drove behind people with a blue flashing light.
One terrified teenager and her passenger pulled over but drove off with their doors locked when they saw four young males in the car.
The matter was reported to police when Sarfraz demanded civilian worker James Boland show his driving licence and he handed over his Police Scotland ID badge.
Both men pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to impersonating police officers on various occasions between December 21 and 22 last year. Prosecutor Adele MacDonald said just before midnight on December 21, Ciara Heath was driving home from work with a friend. The 19-year-old was driving along Auldhouse Road in Glasgow’s South Side and became aware of a car driving behind her flashing its lights.
Miss MacDonald said: ‘The passenger looked back and saw a flashing blue light, thought the vehicle was the police and instructed the driver to pull over.’
They were ‘apprehensive and scared’ because there was no reason for them to be pulled over. On seeing four Asian men, the girls drove off.
Half an hour later, Mr Boland was stopped on the same street by a car ‘operating a flashing blue light’. Miss MacDonald said: ‘The driver assumed it was police and pulled over.’
Sarfraz claimed Mr Boland had gone through a red light and demanded to see his licence.
The court was told: ‘Mr Boland took his wallet containing his driving licence from his car along with his Police Scotland ID badge as he is a civilian driver for the police. This was presented to Sarfraz, who on seeing the ID badge claimed all was in order before simply returning to the vehicle, which made off at speed.’
Mr Boland noted the registration of the car and contacted the police. Sarfraz and Rashid were both arrested the following day.
Deferring sentence until next month, Sheriff John McCormick told the pair: ‘You must be aware a custodial disposal is likely.’