A Croydon based police officer is facing jail after being found guilty of fraud.

Gareth Beard, 35, was found guilty of fraud by false representation after making a false insurance claim in April 2010.

Southwark Crown Court heard the police constable lied about having his mobile phone stolen from a McDonald's in Croydon, in order to get a free replacement.

Beard entered his own crime report onto the Met's Crime Reporting System (CRIS), but when it was followed up by the Borough's Crime Management Unit there was no evidence of the crime having taken place.

Beard then changed his story about the date of the alleged theft, but again it did not tally up with evidence gathered.

The incident was reported to the Directorate of Professional Standards in June 2010, who launched an investigation which found further inconsistencies in his story.

Yesterday, Beard resigned from the police force after a jury found him guilty of the charge following a five day trial.

He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on October 11.