Walsall policeman took beers he found on the street as 'medicine'
A Walsall police officer with a string of personal problems took two cans of beer he had seized five days before as 'medicine', he told a misconduct panel yesterday.
Pc Ross O'Grady, aged 43, admits taking two cans of Carling Black Label lager from a room at Aldridge Police Station on January 21, 2015, but consistently denied being a thief and gross misconduct.
He took the alcohol after he found it on the street five days earlier, on January 16, 2015.
He said he was worried it would be drunk by youths – but failed to log it after it was found.
He said he needed alcohol to sleep and blamed the dependency on anxiety, depression and a culture of needing to appear strong as a West Midlands Police officer.
"Now I can finally understand what is wrong with me. It's not about me being a barmy copper, it's about me being seriously ill."
The panel heard he had been referred to doctors or mental health services at least 15 times over the last decade.
Pc O'Grady said after he joined the police in 2001 he suffered several traumatic events.
They include being assaulted in 2002, attending to the death of a nine-week-old baby in 2003, being faced by a gunman during riots in Birmingham in 2005 and being called to a murder in January 2006.
He said had been driven to drink because "when you close your eyes when you see dead babies, dead bodies, guns in your face. All that nice staff keeps you awake at night."
He also denies gross misconduct over contacting a colleague over taking the cans.
Inspector David Payne, who was in charge of neighbourhood policing in Aldridge in January 2015, said he was satisfied the beer being taken should have been dealt with as a welfare matter because of Pc O'Grady's personal problems.
Pc O'Grady was arrested but the case was discontinued.
The tribunal continues.
