Lies quickly unravelled for a Gloucester policeman caught shoplifting twice.
Kieran Bolton, 51, of Hempsted Lane, left Gloucestershire Constabulary in disgrace after 25 years of service having been handed a suspended jail sentence for fraud.
Bolton lied about working for the police after being caught shoplifting and was found out only after he later stole groceries again at a supermarket, Worcester Crown Court heard this week.
He was given an eight month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours unpaid work in the community.
He had admitted fraud by falsely claiming to be an environmental health officer when he was given a fixed penalty notice for shoplifting in Bristol and theft from Morrisons in Tewkesbury.
Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said Bolton told police officers he was an environmental health officer for Gloucestershire County Council after being given the fixed penalty notice for shoplifting in Bristol in October 2013.
If he had told them he was a police officer, the matter would have been reported to his Gloucestershire Constabulary bosses and he would have undergone a disciplinary hearing.
But instead he carried on "living a lie" and "abusing his position of high trust" as a police officer, said Mr Whitfield.
The offence came to light after he was caught shoplifting a second time, eight months later at Morrisons in Tewkesbury.
Richard Shepherd, defending, said it was not a foregone conclusion that Bolton would have been dismissed as there were police officers "up and down the country" who had continued serving after being caught for dishonesty if they were at an emotionally difficult time of life.
Mr Shepherd added that Bolton, described as a "straightforward hard working police officer" although "not a high flier" had been told by his partner of 20 years, who had been ill for eight years, she was not coming back to him after undergoing treatment in Plymouth for cancer.
His daughter also had to give up her studies at Aberystwyth University because she was suffering from ME and had returned to live with him.
Bolton's position was also "under review" at work after substantial reorganisation.
After "destroying" his career, he chose to resign, sacrificing many tens of thousands of pounds in pension which he could have accrued had he drawn out the process of a disciplinary procedure.
Recorder Denis Desmond told Bolton his actions had been a breach of trust that had brought shame on himself, his family and on the police force.
