Ex-police officer’s ‘fall from grace’
An ex-police officer was sentenced to community detention for charging someone $1000 to help them through the court system over a traffic ticket, and then not following through.
Sanjeev Kala, 38, was sentenced on a charge of obtaining the money by deception, but the court heard today that he had paid the victim back the money.
Defence counsel Karen Feltham said Kala had resigned from the police force.
Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said the offending happened while Kala was in a position of trust, and took advantage of the situation presented, but he was not corrupt.
Judge Raoul Neave said Kala did not take advantage of his status as a police officer, but made friends with the person he took the money from.
He said the complainant came in to the Christchurch police station to inquire about a traffic ticket. Kala befriended him and offered to provide him with legal assistance in support of the ticket when it came to court. He received $1000, but did not provide the assistance.
Judge Neave said it was a significant breach of trust, either as a friend, or as a police officer.
He said it was very serious to take advantage of the situation in the way that he did, to the detriment of a member of the public who was seeking his assistance.
The offending was driven by a desperate financial situation, and a significant number of stresses in Kala’s life at that time.
He said there would be condemnation of the community, who may well be judgmental on him, and the community needed to know that the police were expected to be held to a very high standard of conduct, and this was a fall from grace. He said a price must be paid for offending of this nature by those who are in a privileged position.
He sentenced Kala to four months’ community detention, and 100 hours’ community work.
Category: News
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