Thorneywood man impersonated police officer in maternity unit at city hospital

This Nottingham man twice impersonated a police officer in a matter of weeks, the second time in the maternity unit of a city hospital. Nottingham Crown Court heard how Daniel Brown was under a previous court order for “suggesting he would drive a vehicle into a mosque” when he committed the fresh offences.

On the first occasion he convinced security staff at a Victoria Centre store he was a bonafide officer and on the second occasion he told staff at the City Hospital he was there to arrest someone.

But on both occasions, the 38-year-old. of Thorneywood, backtracked when he was challenged. And even the prosecutor told this week’s hearing that the defendant “had no malicious intent” when he did what he did.

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Handing him a two-year community order, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said: “The prospect of somebody like you being in prison fills me, frankly, with absolute horror and despair so if you get these ideas again count to 10 before you carry them out. I am trying to help you.

“The last time this happened, you had it in your head to do harm to people - but I don’t think you would have done it. But it was in your head to even suggest it. This time, for no clear reason, you twice impersonated a police officer but you did not do it very well and you did not do it by getting hold of a uniform or disguising yourself.

“Most importantly, you did not do it to harm anyone. But sometimes these things can go badly wrong and the person you might hurt is you because, to some extent, you put yourself at risk as well.

“You have a mental illness. That is not your fault and it is a mental illness that cannot necessarily be treated in the way that a conventional mental illness can be.”

Luc Chignell, prosecuting, said Brown was handed a community order in 2022 for making threats to kill. On that occasion, he admitted “suggesting he would drive a vehicle into a mosque” but no such threat was ever even planned let alone carried out in any way.

The prosecutor said while under the terms of the order, on March 13, last year, the defendant entered House of Fraser, in the Victoria Centre and told security staff he was a police officer. Mr Chignell said: “He did not show a warrant card but there was enough assertiveness for them to trust the defendant and he was invited into the security office.

“There, he started to say things that were inconsistent and which raised suspicion. On March 28, he entered the maternity unit at Nottingham City Hospital and suggested to security staff he was a police officer and was there to arrest somebody who was wanted and suggested there was a police unit outside.

“He then told staff ‘actually I got the wrong person, I have spoken to the control room’.

“It was fantasy, there was no malicious intent but they are serious offences because of the effect this can have on public confidence. He was arrested and admitted to what he had done saying he had been #hearing voices’.”

Brown, of St Ann’s Gardens, pleaded guilty to two counts of impersonating a police officer and also admitted the offence put him in breach of the previous community order.

When Judge Rafferty indicated he would not be sending his client to prison, Siward James-Moore, mitigating, said he had little else to add. As part of the community order, Brown was ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service.