A disgraced former police sergeant who quit before being sacked for a driving offence has been hauled back into court for posing as a copper on a swingers site. Newly-single dad-of-one Kalhed Miah, 35, was reported to his ex-colleagues after he tried to arrange a date on the FabSwingers.com network using his old warrant card.
Police alerted by an unnamed informant he had been chatting with on the site searched Miah’s property and found the ID card, plus two sergeant patches, police trousers, a police belt and laptop bag.
Court hearing and sentence
Tameside Magistrates' Court heard that in November 2024 Miah had quit Greater Manchester Police (GMP) — before a subsequent disciplinary hearing could sack him — after being caught driving his BMW without insurance outside a police station in 2023 and then lying about it to avoid the blame.
Earlier this month Miah, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, admitted impersonating a police officer on the dating site and unlawfully possessing articles of police uniform. He was fined £76 and ordered to pay £115 in costs and surcharge. Magistrates also made a deprivation order on the items of police uniform.
Investigation details
The investigation began on December 21 last year when police received a report about an officer "acting unprofessionally online." Prosecutor Emma Sockett said: "The defendant had sent messages through the dating website FabSwingers claiming to be a serving officer from Hyde Police Station. The informant questioned him regarding this and he sent photos confirming that he was. One photo included a warrant card. It was found he used to be a former sergeant but was no longer employed due to an internal investigation. He should not have been in possession of the warrant card."
A search was conducted following that information and officers found items, a warrant card, two sergeant patches, a pair of trousers, a police belt and a laptop bag.
Previous driving offence
In November 2024, Miah quit his police job after being fined £246 with £183 in costs and had his licence endorsed with six penalty points by JPs in Manchester, in February 2024. It related to an incident when he drove his car while uninsured and was stopped by a colleague in May 2023 outside Ashton-under-Lyne Police Station.
At his GMP disciplinary hearing, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Miah sought to "evade his responsibility" over the offence by making written submissions about the incident to the Central Ticket Office which were ''demonstrably untrue.'' The submissions were also said to have contradicted statements Miah made to the patrolman who stopped him.
At the police conduct hearing, Sir Stephen said Miah — who failed to attend in person — had been "dishonest and unapologetic" and would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not resigned. The police chief added: "Mr Miah's culpability must be regarded as high and by definition amounts to at best culpable neglect. The failure to insure his vehicle was calculated and deliberate and his subsequent communication with the Central Ticket office was characterised by incontrovertible falsehoods, unforced and designed to evade his responsibilities. He failed to live up to the responsibility reposed in him and the misconduct was clearly designed for concealment of wrongdoing by himself. It was planned, deliberate and carried out in the full knowledge it was unwise, indefensible and potential unlawful. It potentially posed a risk to the legitimate and fair course of public justice at a time of heightened public concern surrounding the professional conduct of police officers."
Defence statement
Jo Gregory, defending, said her client at the time of the dating website incident had been going "through a relationship breakdown with the mother of his son." The solicitor added: "This is not an excuse, [it] just gives an example of the low mood that he was experiencing at the time. He had within the previous 12 months resigned from the police force and when he split from his partner he had gone back home to live with this parents. It was at that point when he was sorting a room out he discovered his old warrant card and there had been some items of police clothing that had been left. At the time of his resignation he had actually handed in his most recent warrant card but he made a mistake as regards the clothing that he should have been handed in. At the time the offence was committed he was in a very low mood, struggling with his mental health and he states on one evening he had gone out with friends. He does not drink, it is against his religion. He had a few drinks, came home and went on the internet. He instructs that he cannot really give an explanation as to why he did produce his warrant card. He is not trying to make excuses - it is just he does not know why and he cannot excuse his behaviour. All credit to him."
