Prostitute posed as undercover Pc

A prostitute who posed as an undercover police officer to deceive vulnerable men in Swindon has been sent to jail for three years.

Hayley Cosgrave, 29, of Cumberland Street, London, was found guilty of three counts of deception and one of burglary, following an earlier trial.

Swindon Crown Court heard she conned a number of men out of a total of £800 after posing as an undercover officer.

She told them that if they did not pay her "fines" they would face the courts.

The court heard there had been a series of incidents.

You must have known he was vulnerable and that's why you went back. This makes the offence particularly serious Judge Douglas Field

Cosgrave's last deception, which she pleaded guilty to, involved her jumping into a man's car in Swindon's Manchester Road and threatening him with a trip to the police station or an on-the-spot "fine".

After convincing the man she was a "genuine" officer he was taken to a cash dispenser to hand over £200.

Sentencing her on Tuesday, Judge Douglas Field referred to another case where she targeted another man over a number of months.

He said: "You must have known he was vulnerable and that's why you went back. This makes the offence particularly serious.

"It's with great regret you cannot pay compensation to your victims," Judge Field added.