Police officer accused of stealing almost £50,000

Funds allegedly taken from relative over four-year period

A court’s heard a serving police officer is alleged to have stolen and laundered tens of thousands of pounds over almost four years.

Forty-five-year-old Michael Stephen Crompton of Peel appeared at Douglas courthouse before High Bailiff Jayne Hughes.

He denies a total of 21 charges – 20 counts of theft and one of transferring criminal property.

All are said to have been carried out between January 2014 and October 2017.

Prosecution advocate Hazel Carroon told the hearing Mr Crompton is alleged to have taken more than £49,000 from an elderly woman he was related to in sums ranging from £50 to £9,000.

He’s further said to have transferred the money from an Isle of Man Bank account into other accounts he controlled over the same period.

Both prosecution and defence agreed the case was too serious for a summary court’s powers and would need to be committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery.

Mrs Hughes granted bail and Mr Crompton will appear again at a pre-trial review hearing on 24 March.

Update: 

In November 2020 the defendant admitted unlawfully aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a relative to make a false representation to obtain benefits between 13 January 2014 and 23 October 2017. 

Social enquiry and psychiatric reports were considered and Mr Crompton was sentenced to eight weeks in custody which was suspended for 12 months. 

He was also ordered to pay £125 in prosecution costs. 

The prosecutor, on behalf of the Attorney General’s Chambers, withdrew the original offences.