A motoring lawyer has been found guilty of impersonating a police officer after he created a fake police email account and repeatedly contacted a Nando's restaurant to request CCTV footage. Conor Johnstone, 34, posed as a police constable named 'PC Matt Gregory' and claimed an incident had occurred at the Stockton Heath branch, near Warrington, on July 22 of the previous year.

Johnstone, who has described his nickname as 'The Legal Missile,' told restaurant staff that he needed the footage to investigate a complaint between two customers. A Nando's worker testified that Johnstone sounded professional and believable. Following the initial phone call, an email arrived from a fake "cheshirepolice.uk" address, complete with a Cheshire Constabulary crest and false officer details, requesting footage of a specific man and woman.

Nando's staff asked Johnstone to fill out a Data Protection Act form, which he completed using the fabricated police details. He then sent further emails to the restaurant. When emails to 'PC Gregory's' account began bouncing back, suspicious staff contacted the police non-emergency number and discovered that no such officer existed.

An investigation by Cheshire Police traced the fake email account to Johnstone. A debit card in his name was used to purchase the domain name for the fake email address. Johnstone was later recorded by restaurant staff asking for the CCTV footage again, unaware he had been identified.

During the trial at Leeds Magistrates Court, prosecutor Nicki Forster suggested Johnstone sought the footage to monitor his ex-partner, India Boydell, who was pregnant with their third child at the time. Johnstone denied this, claiming his ex-partner may have created the fake emails herself to spy on him and his new partner. He stated he had been in New York days after the initial incident and had no reason to request the footage.

Despite his defense, Johnstone was found guilty of impersonating a police officer. He indicated his intention to appeal the verdict. Johnstone specializes in defending individuals accused of drink and drug driving and owns the law firm MAJ Law. His firm has previously been criticized by the road safety charity Brake for its online materials that assist clients in avoiding driving convictions.

Johnstone is scheduled to be sentenced next month.