AN EX-COPPER has been jailed after burgling his lover’s home and stealing almost £20,000 to pay off loan sharks.

Christopher Sims, aged 28, of Highview, Vigo was sentenced to 18 months in prison on December 8, but will serve half of this term on licence.

The married father-of-two, who worked as a PC for north Kent police for six years before becoming a bailiff, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing on October 22 to burgling his mistress’ home on March 10.

The court heard Sims had such crippling debts of £47,000 that he went to loan sharks for help who subsequently threatened to harm his family when he failed to repay them.

It was this that drove him to use a key and alarm code given to him by his lover to steal £19,000 from her home in The Avenue, Gravesend, which she shared with her husband and two children.

Appealing to the judge before sentencing, defence lawyer Eleanor Sanderson told Maidstone Crown Court: “This is a tremendous fall from grace for a man who was a respected police officer.

“The greatest punishment has perhaps already been served. “He has brought shame upon himself and upon his family.”

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Joy said: “It is extremely sad to see a person so young plead guilty to an offence such as this.

“It was planned and targeted and it was a complete betrayal of trust committed by you.”

The money Sims stole was never recovered.