Walt grassed by auntie

Crossing the pond for stolen valor today.

Ashley Thompson, 29, used his cousin’s financial info to apply for a seven thousand pound loan, then persuaded his cousin (Michael Green) that it was a gambling win and persuaded Green it was OK to be put in Green’s account. Doesn’t seem like that says much for Green’s acuity and financial acumen, does it, that he then transferred the seven grand to Thompson. Needless to say, the loan group then came after Green for repayment and the whole mess came to light.

He told police and Thompson later admitted the fraud in court, but the judge was persuaded to defer sentence for four months after Thompson argued that he had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

The judge had been told by Lloyd Jenkins, defending, at that hearing that Thompson had been discharged from the Army in 2017 after serving for seven years, and had resorted to using cocaine and gambling as an escape.

In deferring sentence, Judge Macmillan told Thompson: “I understand that you have drug and gambling addictions and over the next four months I want you to try and sort a few issues out to prove that you are turning your life around.”

Guess you have to expect things like this will hit the fan, especially when your cousin says “I owe WHAT?” Kinda kicks the whole mess into the open. But then…

However, soon after the hearing, Thompson’s aunt read an account on a Gloucestershire news website and alerted the authorities that he had lied about his Army service and his alleged duty in Afghanistan.

One common trait of judges on BOTH sides of the pond – they look askance at being lied to.

Jailing Thompson for 36 months, Judge Rupert Lowe told him he was an inveterate liar who came up with fictitious stories to try to excuse or explain his criminal behaviour.

Judge Lowe told Thompson: “You are a thoroughly dishonest, manipulative and deceitful man.

“When you appeared before Judge Macmillan you said you were suffering from PTSD. That was a lie. You said you had served twice in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2014. That was not true either.”The Telegraph

Probably didn’t help Thompson’s case that they found 41 cannabis plants growing at his place when the cops dropped by.

No word whether his brief, Mr. Jenkins, is going to suffer consequences for lying to the judge.

 

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Crime, None, PTSD, UK