Disgraced Staffordshire police officers who conned disabled relative out of £180,000 and her home could face stricter punishment

The sentences of father and son John and David Gimbert, who both served with Staffordshire Police, are to be reviewed by the Attorney General after concerns the judge was too lenient.

Retired John Gimbert, 65, was jailed last month to three-and-a-half years while David, 37, was handed a suspended six-month jail term.

John Gimbert was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and four counts of theft after he abused his position as power of attorney over his cousin Janette Trim’s financial affairs.

He asset stripped his relative , selling her bungalow for just £1 to his son David. It was worth between £50,000 and £80,000.

Miss Trim, who is in her 60s, suffers from severe learning disabilities.

David, who was sacked as a sergeant based at force HQ in Stafford last month over the conviction, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

The pair faced a retrial over a charge of conspiracy to defraud after jurors failed to reach verdicts at an original trial in February.

They were found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court in September.

John Gimbert, of Westwood Park Avenue, Leek, raided Miss Trim’s inheritance, following the death of her father, by giving large cash payments to his two sons and daughter to buy homes.

He bought three new Chrysler cars worth thousands of pounds with money taken from her accounts. He and his wife would also use a ‘Motability’ car leased using her benefit money for their own purposes.

The ruse was exposed after staff at Staffordshire County Council became suspicious about John’s spending for his cousin such as for a new computer she would not have been able to use.

The court was told John Gimbert paid some of the money back – but the prosecution said this only came after concerns were raised by social services and carers.

The Attorney General’s Office has 28 days to review a sentence and decide whether it should be referred to the Court of Appeal.

The court can then decide whether the sentence is increased.

David Gimbert, 37, of High View, Mow Cop, was given a ‘glowing reference’ by a superintendent at Staffordshire Police.

The court heard he had been commended by former Labour Home Secretary John Reid for crime reduction.

His barrister, Mr Richard Gibbs, said his client was ‘completely devastated’ but maintained his innocence.

Sentencing John Gimbert, Recorder Benjamin Nicholls said: “You grossly abused a position of trust over your cousin, who you knew to be extremely vulnerable.

“You created a labyrinth of bank accounts to conceal what you were doing, which was to allow your children to get on the housing ladder.”

For the fraud charge he was jailed for three-and-a-half years, and he received four separate sentences ranging from 12 months to three-and-a-half years for theft. They will run concurrently.

Sentencing David Gimbert to six-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months, Recorder Nicholls said: “It is frankly a tragedy that you stand before me in crown court. You have lost your career, your reputation, and your relationship with your father.

“You knew your aunt, as you called her, was vulnerable. As a police officer you should have been able to stand up to your father.”