A former police officer who stole from colleagues and from a search address has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Jailing Kevin Scott Williams, Deemster Farrell told him: ’The public place great trust in our police officers. You have seriously breached that trust and those of fellow officers whose funds you stole.’The court heard that the defendant ‘milked’ the funds of the Isle of Man Police Federation, with money used among other things to buy electronic items and flights for holidays.Willams, 51, of Port-e-Chee Avenue, Douglas, had an exemplary record as a police officer for some 25 years.

But as secretary, treasury and chairman of the Isle of Man Police Federation he had sole access to its funds, without any oversight.

Between 2011 and 2017 he withdrew cash and paid cheques totalling £60,000 from the Federation fund into his own personal account.

He also stole a Rolex watch, valued at £6,750, from premises being searched as part of a joint police, HMRC and UK National Crime Agency operation, codenamed Braid, in March 2015.

Defence advocate Peter Taylor said his client had been hospitalised for stress and had been diagnosed with PTSD in 2018.

His life had ’spiralled out of control’, he said.

’He has expressed genuine remorse for the theft of money from the Police Federation.’

Williams was jailed for 24 months for the theft from the Police Federation and a further eight months for the watch theft, making a total of two years and eight months.

He was ordered to pay £60,000 compensation to the Police Federation from funds held by the court that had been subject to a restraining order.

Deemster Farrell told him: ’It is indeed tragic that you stand here today. Not only will you serve a sentence but you may well lose your police pension built up over many years.

A statement issued on behalf of the IoM Police Federation, said: ‘The actions of Mr Williams caused a great deal of anger. This caused reputational damage and upset a larger number of retired colleagues, some of whom are quite elderly.’

‘At times the fund dwindled to critical levels and we struggled to support members.’