Drug addict jailed for car scam that snared police officer

A Perthshire heroin addict who duped a London police officer into paying him nearly £15,000 for non-existent cars has been jailed for nine months.

Barry Gillespie hatched the scheme in an effort to pay off drug debts and successfully ensnared Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Woodhead.

Perth Sheriff Court heard the two men had made contact online in connection with the sale of genuine vehicles on the shopping site eBay.

When drug dealers called in debts, however, Gillespie panicked and invented false transactions in an effort to obtain more money.

Mr Woodhead – a Land Rover enthusiast – eventually handed over £14,900.

While the scheme was a success in the short term, Gillespie’s continued claims that the cars needed work before they could be delivered soon raised suspicions.

The police were called and an investigation revealed the cars had never existed and that Gillespie had simply used the money for his own purposes.

Gillespie, 34, of Glenshee Drive in Blairgowrie, subsequently admitted defrauding Mr Woodhead between November 14 and December 1 2013 by pretending he had purchased vehicles on his behalf.

He was ordered to repay the money at a rate of £200 a month – avoiding jail only after promising to raise the amount being paid by securing a job.

Returning to Perth Sheriff Court, however, Sheriff Gillian Wade heard he had paid just £1,000 and made little effort to get work.

Jailing him, she said: “This was a serious fraud and a serious amount of money.

“I no longer think repayment is a realistic possibility.”