Crimestoppers: Police officer jailed for falsely accusing student

Abubakar Masum was dismissed by South Wales Police after he was convicted

A former policeman sacked for making false accusations about a student has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Abubakar Masum, 24, who was a constable with South Wales Police, was convicted of perverting the course of justice.

His false reports to Crimestoppers accused the Swansea University student of drug dealing, storing a gun and killing an Albanian gangster.

After his conviction at Cardiff Crown Court a misconduct panel banned him from serving as an officer.

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During Masum's trial, the jury heard that he was "obsessed" with the 23-year-old student after they met in a nightclub.

Abubakar Masum was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after making a series of false accusations

He falsely told Crimestoppers that the student's ex-boyfriend had planned to travel to Swansea to carry out an acid attack on him.

Masum also gained unauthorised access to a police computer to gather information before making the calls.

Snapchat account

The fake tip-offs led to armed police raiding her home and questioning her over a false plot to kill a man over a debt.

He said he'd made the calls in "good faith" based on posts he had seen on her Snapchat account.

South Wales Police found no evidence the woman was involved in any criminal activities.

She was studying criminology and had expressed interested in joining the police.

Masum's false reports to Crimestoppers were said to have taken up about 200 hours of police time.

The woman was studying criminology at Swansea University and was interested in joining the police when she met PC Abubakar Masum

During his trial he denied being obsessed with the student.

He told the jury: "For a female that I've only met three times I don't think it's physically possible to be that obsessed."

'Intimidating staring'

The court heard psychiatric reports suggesting Masum was "likely" to have an "emotionally unstable personality disorder".

Graham Trembath QC, representing Masum, said he had a tendency to "act impulsively without giving thought as to the consequences" and was "verging on the Walter Mitty, in many respects".

In a victim personal statement read in court, the student said Masum's actions left her fearing about her potential future police career.

"I thought if he could do this to me, what else could he be capable of?" she said.

"Mas staring at me whilst I was giving my evidence was intimidating."

She said it had left her fearful of going out alone and she had installed a tracker on her phone to inform family and friends of her whereabouts.

"I've felt there was a massive dark cloud hanging over me," she said.

In a victim personal statement read in court, her ex-boyfriend said: "It could have potentially ruined my life."

'Gross misconduct'

Masum was jailed for three years for perverting the course of justice in relation to his main victim and a further six months in relation to the same charge relating to her ex-boyfriend.

He was sentenced to another six months for securing unauthorised access to computer material, which will run concurrently.

Judge Michael Fitton QC said: "You are, in my judgement, so wrapped up in your own feelings about yourself… that you do not comprehend the harm you've done."

Masum will be referred to the College of Policing and placed on the police barred list, preventing him from future service.

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said Masum's actions amounted to "gross misconduct", adding that "there is no room for this type of conduct in South Wales Police".

"I recognise that the conduct involved premeditation, planning, targeting and taking deliberate steps and thus has a higher degree of culpability," he added.