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A Royal protection officer was found guilty today of a multi-million-pound fraud after a trial that exposed a culture of porn, gambling and alcohol inside Buckingham Palace.
Pc Paul Page, who was in the elite SO14 royal protection squad, faces a long sentence after living a life of luxury on cash that former colleagues entrusted to him to invest in property.
The 38-year-old was convicted of fraudulent trading after a three-month trial that exposed the extraordinary on-duty behaviour of royal protection officers. According to courtroom evidence, they:
* Posed for photos on the Queen's throne.
* Indulged in a gambling and drinking culture.
* Handled firearms while drunk.
* Earned up to £60,000 “for doing very little”; fell asleep on duty; smuggled friends into garden parties and offered them free parking for shopping sprees.
* Used police cars to ferry around gifts and cash from spread-betting rings.
Page will be sentenced later at Southwark crown court by the Recorder of Westminster, Geoffrey Rivlin QC. But police say they will not be launching an investigation PRINCE ANDREW ordered his royal protection officers to fetch golf balls as he practised his swing in gardens behind Buckingham Palace.
The elite officers of SO14 would be required to act as ball boys for the golf fanatic who has a handicap of six and was elected captain of the R&A in 2002.
Andrew is also said to have ordered those guarding him to walk on the grass outside because the crunching of the gravel outside his bedroom window kept him awake.
The revelations came in documents presented in court during the trial of former royal protection officer Pc Paul Page, who was convicted of a multi-million-pound fraud today.
Page told the jury at Southwark crown court that the officers of SO14 were looked down upon by the royal family.
He said: “It's an easy life. You're told not to get involved in crime on the outside, you're there to protect the royal family. You're not police officers any more. You didn't work for a living, that's the bottom line. You've got time to study.”
He also claimed that the Queen has a yellow rubber duck for her bath which has a crown painted on it.
His other evidence during the trial revealed a culture of downtime, gambling and drunkenness among royal protection officers at the palace. He said: “There was an officer and he did sell porn. He used to get it from Holland, bring it back and sell it to officers while on duty. Everyone knew about it but no one would say anything.
“You had officers running poker games for money in downtime. If people want to do that that's fair enough, but senior officers let it go.
“People would go to sleep on post. I did it, I'm not going to sit here and deny it. Officers would turn up drunk, I've turned up with a hangover.
He added: “Officers in the command are earning £50-60,000 per year with overtime for doing very little. The money was thrown at you because the security level had to be kept up.
“I shouldn't be saying what I'm saying, but it has to be done. I need you to understand the culture.”
Reader views (8)
My dad had the good sense to emigrate to Canada in the fifties, predicting that "England was finished!" The royal scandals, the political scandals and the general deterioration of the moral fibre of the country seem to bear him out.
- Rubbermaid, Vancouver, Canada, 19/07/2009 03:45
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get rid of the Monarchy and of all the hangers on and you wold not have that trouble you have now in England.
- Rudolf Klima, Melbourne Australia, 18/07/2009 22:23
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Well if they're standing around doing nothing, why not help Andy pick up his golf balls instead of just watching? Having heard how much travel Prince Andrew did last year at the Government's request and having seen what the Armed Forces do for a pittance I suppose it seemed a bit irritating to him. £60kpa to work to rule and stand about: sheeez I had rubbish career-guidance at school!
- Roz, France, 18/07/2009 10:22
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Now that this man could face a long prison term,I take it that we shall see mps behind bars as they have done much the same thing, maybe more-so
- Agnes & Robert, vancouver british columbia, 18/07/2009 01:37
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Britain is a country which for a long time doesn't have an effective police force , despite being hugely resourced ; an overpaid yob culture.[http://This was my experienced when I lived there.|http://This was my experienced when I lived there.]A royal family passsed their 'sell by date.' A country in moral decline.Nothing to do with pary politics.The comments just reflect the continuing stupidity of those who cannot perceive this decline.It will continue.
- Chris M, morbihan,france, 17/07/2009 21:49
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Undercover Elephant: quite unlike the Tories under Thatcher and Major then (!?)
- Alan, London, 17/07/2009 18:21
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This whole culture of Nu Labor's soft on crime is not right. I cannot wait till this government and its heavy administration light results are gone!!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 17/07/2009 18:01
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'Earned up to £60,000 “for doing very little”; fell asleep on duty; smuggled friends into garden parties and offered them free parking for shopping sprees'
This pretty much sums up the New Labour period in office, bloated, arrogant and greedy.
- Undercover Elephant, Dole Farm, Crays Hill, Essex, 17/07/2009 16:28
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