A police officer faces jail after he stole cash from a dead man’s wallet.
Claudio Gaetani, who had dwarfism, suffered from a heart attack while cycling through Haringey in September 2022.
PC Craig Carter, 51, handled Claudio’s possessions while they were in evidence. At some point between September 7 and 14 he took £115 for his own use.
Mr Gaetani, a filmmaker and lecturer, had arrived in London only the night before for a theatre festival in Southbank and was on the way to visit friends on the day he died.
PC Carter today admitted misconduct in public office, an offence punishable with jail sentences – and was told he’d likely end up behind bars.
Judge Daniel Fugallo granted Carter unconditional bail ahead of his sentencing at the same court on September 13.
The judge added: ‘I have to make absolutely clear that an immediate custodial sentence seems the likely outcome in this case.
‘Neither the ordering of the reports nor the fact I am granting you bail should be taken as an indication of the type of sentence you will receive.’
Carter, who works for the Met’s North Area Command Unit covering Enfield and Haringey, has been suspended from duty.
The Met launched an investigation after one of Claudio’s friends realised money was missing from his wallet when she went to collect his belongings.
The friend told The Mirror: ‘I think it is really disrespectful. I was really, really upset.’
Her husband, who attended university with Claudio, told the outlet he was ‘the type of person when you meet you can fall in love with, absolutely cheerful and positive, even with his physical condition of dwarfism he was never saying no to any adventure.
‘We spent a lot of time travelling.’
Tetteh Turkson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Carter fell ‘woefully short’ of the public’s expectations of a police officer.
He added: ‘The fact Carter thought he could freely steal from a victim who had sadly passed away is not only disturbing, but deeply disrespectful to the victim’s family. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.
‘After collaborative work from the CPS and Metropolitan Police Service, Carter was left with no option but to plead guilty and face the consequences of his actions.’
Detective Superintendent Marco Bardetti said the evidence against Carter ‘could not be denied’.
He said: ‘In September 2022, PC Carter was responsible for looking after a man who had sadly died in the street, as well as taking responsibility for his personal possessions.
‘A family, struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one, should not be put in a position where they have to make a complaint against an officer, suspecting that they have taken money.
‘The Met is not an organisation that will tolerate such behaviour.’
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