Police officers jailed for attempting to frame two men

Two police officers have been jailed for violating their duty and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Connor Beggs, 32, and Kevin Montgomery, 35, deliberately botched an investigation into a domestic assault and framed two innocent men in Inverclyde.

The pair were found guilty last month following a trial at Greenock Sheriff Court and returned to the dock to be sentenced.

Montgomery, who had falsified witness statements from a man and a woman, was jailed for nine months while Beggs received an eight month sentence.

The duo were convicted of failing to conduct a full and thorough investigation and failing to proactively pursue perpetrators over an incident at an Arnold Clark branch in Greenock in 2021.

They entered false information into Police Scotland systems and tried to conceal the existence of CCTV footage.

They then submitted a report to the procurator fiscal containing false information, implicating two men for a crime they knew they did not commit.

They failed to notify the police control room that they were dealing with a domestic incident, failed to take witness statements, failed to comply with operating procedures, failed to enter a record of the alleged offences, and failed to report the offenders to the procurator fiscal "with all due speed".

Sheriff Tom Ward said the men had carried out an "abject dereliction of duty and, even worse, an attempt to pervert the course of justice."

He said their actions were "egregious behaviour" and could only be dealt with via a custodial sentence.

Their lawyers had asked for them to be spared prison and placed on Community Payback Orders.

Beggs resigned from the force when he learned of the criminal investigation.

The court heard Montgomery, who is still a serving officer, is expecting to lose his job when internal disciplinary proceedings came to an end.

Police Scotland Ch Supt Helen Harrison said: "The actions of Montgomery and former officer Beggs go against everything Police Scotland stands for.

"All officers are bound by our standards of professional behaviour, which apply on and off duty.

"It is right that policing is held to high standards at all times, and we will always support officers and staff acting with our values and standards at heart."

She added: "The case for Montgomery will now be assessed for misconduct under the conduct regulations."