A
community policewoman who appeared in a TV reality show about Gatwick
Airport faces jail after being convicted of stealing £10,000 from
tourists.
Alexis
Scott, 40, fleeced foreign passengers as they were about to board their
planes by falsely claiming they could not take more than £1,000 out of
the country.
The
police community support officer conned at least six travellers into
handing over thousands of pounds after stopping them by the departure
gate and confiscating cash intended to pay for family weddings and
medical operations abroad.
Alexis Scott,
pictured at Canterbury Crown Court, has been found guilty of stealing
£10,000 from passengers flying from Gatwick Airport
The
mother-of-two even held out her police hat for unsuspecting victims to
put money in, saying she would detain them and they would miss their
flight if they did not hand
over the money which she said they could
claim back. They never saw their cash again.
Yesterday
a judge warned Scott she faces jail when she is sentenced later this
year after she was found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court of six counts
of theft and one of misconduct in public office.
Judge James O’Mahoney said: ‘What is going on in this proud country when officials in police uniform can steal money from you?
'The defendant’s behaviour has undermined trust in public services and the police.’
Police believe Scott, who gave birth seven weeks ago, netted at least £10,000, but there may be many more victims.
She
preyed on foreign tourists flying from the North Terminal to
destinations including Istanbul, Vietnam and Albania between April 8 and
24 last year.
One woman handed over £3,000, but found police had no record of it when she later tried to reclaim it.
Scott
featured in a 2011 documentary called Inside Gatwick where she was
filmed talking proudly about her work. She had previously been a member
of a specialist investigation team which confiscated cash from suspected
criminals.
Although PCSOs have no right to seize cash, she worked alongside officers who can search suspects.
Alexis Scott (pictured), 39, held out her police hat for unsuspecting victims to put money in
After Scott left the unit she continued to visit secure airside areas of the airport where PCSOs are not allowed.
She was caught when Sussex Police received complaints about stolen cash and identified Scott as the culprit.
A
jury convicted her of six counts of theft, but she was cleared of
stealing £5,000 from a seventh passenger. None of the money has ever
been traced.
The
victims will be compensated and police will be seeking to claw back
cash from Scott of Plumstead, south-east London, who has run up
substantial debts and has four county court judgements against her name.
She has lost her job with Sussex Police.
Officers
will want to establish whether she paid for IVF treatment which
resulted in her becoming pregnant with her second child from the
proceeds of the fraud.
Alex Scott, left, appeared in the television programme 'Inside Gatwick' about life at the airport
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