‘Doorman’ paid £300 for a fake security badge but was rumbled on job application

A bogus doorman who paid £300 for a cloned security license has been handed a community order after being found out. Luke Donnelly made the payment to an unknown man in exchange for the fake Security Industry Authority (SIA) license, allowing him to work illegally without the proper training.

However a would-be employer spotted the deception after Donnelly applied for a job. Donnelly applied to work for Active Security Solutions Ltd. During routine checks, Donnelly’s trick was discovered.

The company subsequently alerted the SIA, which in turn launched an investigation. Donnelly was later charged and ordered to appear in court for trial.

However the defendant failed to attend Dudley Magistrates’ Court and he was found guilty in his absence on December 13 last year. A warrant was then issued for his arrest and Donnelly was detained.

He appeared at Walsall Magistrates Court on January 9 where he was sentenced for using a cloned licence and for failing to surrender to bail. The defendant was given a community order of 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £3903 prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Mark Chapman, criminal investigations manager for the SIA, said: “When somebody works in the private security industry with a cloned licence they put the public, their colleagues and themselves at risk. In this case, Mr Donnelly thought he could take a shortcut by avoiding the training necessary to safely de-escalate conflict and deal with dangerous situations.

“He claimed he believed the licence he bought was genuine. However, having held a genuine licence previously, he would have known that this was not the case and that he was breaking the law. This sentence serves as a warning to others who may be considering circumventing the legal requirements to hold a valid licence and then avoid being held to account when caught.

“I would like to thank Active Security Solutions Ltd for reporting this individual to us so that we could prosecute an individual trying to break the law.”

Source – Birmingham Mail