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Police officer spent 30k at Tesco, McDonald's and Starbucks using 'exploited' neighbour's card

The ECHO confronted former Constable Gary Carson to ask him about his misconduct

[Merseyside PC Gary Carson was sacked from the force after using his elderly neighbour's card to make 30k of purchases]

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Merseyside PC Gary Carson was sacked from the force after using his elderly neighbour's card to make 30k of purchases(Image: Facebook)

A shamed police officer befriended his elderly neighbour and used her card to buy McDonald's, Starbucks and a Manscaped razor. Merseyside Police Constable Gary Carson began doing "jobs" for his elderly neighbour such as her shopping as her health began to deteriorate.

The elderly woman, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, was said to have been "smitten" with Carson, who she held in high regard because of his job as a response officer, entrusting him with her bank card. She initially said the card could also be used for "ice creams" and "Christmas and birthday presents for the children".

But over a number of years the now former PC made a series of payments which were determined to not be "commensurate with [the neighbour's] lifestyle". The payment history, seen by the ECHO, includes nearly 25,000 at Tesco; over 750 at both Starbucks and Amazon; 150 at McDonald's; nearly 100 at Halfords; and over 90 at Tool Station.

There were also payments to Dominos Pizza; My Protein; O2 and Uber Eats - as well as to companies Manscaped and ManCave. The total expenditure on her card was over 30,000 between February 2020 and March 2023.

Carson also registered his email address with the neighbour's bank accounts so he could transfer funds and carry out online transactions. He also took control of her savings account and transferred nearly 11,000 to cover the expenditure leaving her current account.

"Unremorseful" Carson appeared before a Merseyside Police misconduct hearing last month where it was found he had breached the standards of the force's professional behaviour to the level of gross misconduct. Carson was told as well as using the "elderly neighbour's bank account...to benefit you and your family", he also failed to seek appropriate assistance from council services despite her house being in "squalor".

The officer was sacked from the force without notice and added to the College of Policing barred list. This means he will never be able to work in the police again.

This week the ECHO confronted Carson at his home in Runcorn to ask him about his misconduct. Wearing a pink gym top and sporting ginger facial hair, Carson confirmed his name before shutting his front door in the ECHO's face after we introduced ourselves.

Detective Chief Superintendent Sabi Kaur, head of the Merseyside Police's professional standards department, told the ECHO: "He exploited the trust of a vulnerable, elderly woman and while he may have made purchases requested by the neighbour went on to buy other items beyond what had been agreed.

"His behaviour was completely unacceptable and risked seriously undermining public confidence in policing. It is absolutely right that he has been dismissed from the force and can no longer serve in policing. I hope that the seriousness with which the force has handled the misconduct investigation into his actions demonstrates very clearly the standards we uphold at Merseyside Police.

"The public quite rightly expect that officers are working to protect them from harm, and that their behaviour both on and off duty demonstrates their commitment to protecting vulnerable people. PC Carson's actions in taking the money and in not reporting his neighbour's living conditions to social services were completely at odds with that.

"I am pleased to say the overwhelming majority of our officers conduct themselves with professionalism and dignity at all times. They turn up for work fully committed to keeping our communities safe, often staying beyond their shifts to ensure they have performed their duty for the public, and are respected members of their communities."

A criminal investigation was launched by a separate police force but ultimately resulted in no charges. The ECHO understands this was due to the reluctance of the neighbour to support the prosecution.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police told the ECHO: "I can confirm an investigation was undertaken by Cheshire Police following allegations of fraud. A case file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service who determined that there should be no charges."

Carson moved into his home in February 2012 and his relationship with his neighbour grew so she became a "grandmother figure" to his family. He said they held joint BBQs, Christmas, Easter and birthday events and she would treat his children with chocolate and other gifts.

Following her health deteriorating, Carson began carrying out tasks for her including gardening and shopping. He claimed he sat with his neighbour while she carried out online orders and said purchases of toys, a razor and "treats" such as the likes of Starbucks and Greggs were gifted by her.

Carson claimed she was "insistent and forthright that the officer should accept her gifts and contributions and would become upset if he tried to refuse". He added on "one occasion" only he accidentally use her card for an Amazon purchase, but when he realised the error and offered to refund her she refused.

The hearing was told Carson's finances were in a dire position at the time. When applying to join Merseyside Police he declared he had been served a "default notice" for credit cards, catalogue agreements and mobile phone contracts which were in repayment plans. He also declared he was in arrears on a credit card and had received a county court judgment in 2013.

Following his successful police application he was granted a 10-year recruitment vetting clearance. The hearing was told he had taken a drop in salary when he officially joined the police in February 2020 and faced an "ever-growing food bill and increased costs of living" to the point he was "close to being unable to afford the basics".

The misconduct hearing was told by the neighbour's daughter she had visited her mum's house around Christmas 2023 and observed the house was "in a state". This included thick dust, a blocked toilet and minimal food in the cupboards. The daughter, who the ECHO is also not naming, had also found a binder containing unpaid bills and bank statements which included payments for fuel and Starbucks.

And in May 2024 she found a purchase on a bank statement dated September 2021 to Police Supplies UK. The misconduct hearing was told "this led [the daughter] to suspect it was PC Carson who was using the card for his own means" and the matter was reported to the police.

The hearing was also told that Carson's neighbour did not have internet access at her house, "had no idea about technology, did not own a mobile telephone, tablet or computer and...would have no way of buying anything online". The proceedings were also told the bank had agreed to reimburse 10,000.

The hearing was told the neighbour was unsupportive of the police involvement because she held the officer in high regard. When questioned she became "very verbal about not wanting PC Carson to get into any trouble and was insistent that he should not be sacked".

Carson was interviewed under caution in January 2025 and provided a pre-prepared statement. He claimed the allegations made against him were "completely untrue and come from her estranged family members who have been absent from [her] life for a good period in excess of 10 years".

Carson did not give evidence to the misconduct hearing, which was chaired by Andy Ryan, one of Merseyside's assistant chief constables. The panel concluded there was an "adverse inference [to be drawn] from the failure in give evidence", adding they found the officer was "unable to answer questions and account for the spending on [the] bank account".

The panel determined Carson knew there were parameters to his use of the bank account but used it to make numerous purchases outside the authorised use.

The panel determined when the neighbour was asked about these further transactions she became defensive. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan and the rest of the panel determined this was because she knew Carson had "overstepped the use of the card and gone outside the authorised parameters and that he was going to get into trouble, and she did not want that to happen as she was fond of him".

The panel also determined that Carson had tweaked his statement - changing it from saying transactions only happened in her presence to saying he did not need permission to pay for his family's shop, including times when he was in hospital. "PC Carson amended his response at such a late stage in he proceedings because he realised that he had to justify why purchases were being made from the account when she was in hospital," the panel concluded.

It was found that Carson had used the bank account to benefit himself and his family, with the panel adding: "Ordinary decent people would know that it was dishonest to use a bank account to make unauthorised purchases."

The panel also said money was transferred between accounts to ensure there were sufficient funds to cover continued spending. They added they did not believe the pensioner had the "technological ability to make the transfers from her savings account to her current account either at all or without significant assistance".

They added: "The panel believes that if members of the public were to find out a serving police officer had acted dishonestly and without integrity, they would be shocked and PC Carson's actions therefore have the potential to discredit the police service and undermine public confidence."

The panel also found that Carson had never contacted adult social services or made a referral through the police about the conditions his neighbour was living in, concluding the house was "dirty and unsanitary" and the occupant was sleeping downstairs on the sofa. In his pre-prepared statement Carson said he believed his neighbour had capacity and had a "stern if not stubborn proudness of her home".

The panel said: "PC Carson visited regularly and he never raised a safeguarding issue or concern. [The neighbour] held PC Carson in high esteem, partly due to him being a police officer...police officers are given training on vulnerabilities and the expectation is that when such squalor is seen that a safeguarding referral will be made. PC Carson was a response officer and would be well aware of the need to complete a vulnerable persons referral form."

Carson's actions were found to be "intentional, deliberate and planned" and he purchased items "for the benefit of himself and his family". The panel did not find Carson had "shown any evidence of genuine remorse, insight into his actions or accepted responsibility for his actions".

According to a Linkedin page Carson rose through the ranks at Runcorn-based GPT Waste Management to become its national account manager before joining the police. In the work history section of the page, Carson said he has been "exploring alternative employment" since June 2025.

The page was deleted shortly after the ECHO's visit.

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