A solicitor who posed as a police officer to obtain CCTV footage from a Nando's restaurant in order to spy on his ex-girlfriend has been ordered to complete 260 hours of community service.
Conor Johnstone, 34, who calls himself "The Legal Missile," was found guilty of impersonating a police officer following a one-day trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court last month.
The court heard that he posed as a police constable using a fake name and created a fake police email account to repeatedly pester Nando's staff for camera footage in order to spy on his ex-partner, who had been dining with a new man.
The bogus account, [email protected], had been purchased specifically for the scheme. Its signature included the Cheshire Police crest and the details of "PC Gregory," including a collar number, 3197, and a job title, "Family liaison officer with the domestic violence unit."
When Johnstone failed to respond to the Nando's staff members he had asked for the CCTV, they called Cheshire Police on the non-emergency 101 number and were told there was no "PC Matt Gregory" in the force. Officers launched an investigation and found that Johnstone had bought the temporary email domain using his own name, date of birth, phone number and address, which led them directly to his front door.
Sentencing at Leeds Magistrates' Court
During his police interview, Johnstone, who boasts of exploiting legal loopholes to defend drink and drug drivers, refused to answer all questions put to him.
At Leeds Magistrates' Court, the lawyer, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, was handed a 12-month community order and told to pay £650 in court costs and a £114 victim surcharge. He must also complete 260 hours of supervised unpaid work.
Johnstone now faces disciplinary action from the legal watchdog, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, where he could be referred to a tribunal and ultimately struck off.
'Playing pretend police officer'
Detective Constable Darroch, of Cheshire Police, said Johnstone had been "playing pretend police officer."
"You do not have to be a solicitor to know that impersonating a police officer is a very serious offence, so Conor Johnstone will have been well aware that his actions were illegal," the officer said. "Under the guise of this persona, and armed with a false email that would have looked legitimate to the uninitiated, Johnstone took advantage of two employees who were simply looking to assist with what they thought was an official police investigation."
"Johnstone clearly counted his own chickens before they hatched, as his decision to play pretend police officer has ultimately resulted in him causing permanent damage to his own reputation," the detective added.
How the scheme unfolded
Johnstone's trial heard that he first contacted the Nando's restaurant in Stockton Heath, near Warrington, on July 22 last year. He said he was "PC Matt Gregory" from Cheshire Constabulary and claimed there had been an incident between two customers the previous day, and that one of the parties involved had complained to police. He said he required CCTV footage of the couple in question and provided descriptions of them.
Nando's worker Gabby Ball told the trial that he "sounded professional and as though he knew what he was talking about."
She asked whether the officer could send an email because she was busy, and later that evening a message arrived from the [email protected] account asking for CCTV footage with descriptions of a man and a woman.
On July 25, a second staff member reviewed the footage and attempted to email PC Gregory back to tell him that the two people he was looking to identify were present in the restaurant. However, the emails were not being delivered. After several failed attempts to contact him, the staff member called Cheshire Police on 101.
Ex-partner targeted, court told
Prosecutor Nicki Forster suggested Johnstone wanted the CCTV to spy on his ex-partner of some 12 years, India Boydell, who was pregnant with their third child at the time.
Johnstone denied this, instead claiming Boydell may have created the fake police emails herself to spy on him and his new partner in the restaurant. Magistrates rejected this account.
Following the guilty verdict, Johnstone told the Daily Mail: "I am very disappointed with the court's verdict today and I will be appealing against the decision."
Background on MAJ Law
Johnstone is the owner and director of MAJ Law, a Widnes-based firm established by his father, which specialises in defending drivers accused of criminality. He regularly posts YouTube videos with tips on how to avoid driving convictions, and has previously defended clients including former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders, who was jailed for 10 weeks for failing to take a breath test, and Love Island winner Jack Fincham.
MAJ Law's website says it can help clients by "discussing potential loopholes" and "finding fault with police procedure." In 2018, the firm was branded "immoral" by the road safety charity Brake over online videos it produced helping motorists avoid drink or drug driving bans.
An SRA spokesman said: "We are aware of this issue and have been awaiting the conclusion of the criminal trial. Now that it has finished, we can gather all relevant information, such as a certificate of conviction, and decide on any next steps."
