Thug posed as officer to rob pensioner of wallet

A THUG who pretended to be a policeman so he could rob a pensioner of his wallet has been jailed for 18 months.

Richard Kerr, 38, pushed 72-year-old Thomas Fairbairn against a wall in East Crosscauseway in the Southside, telling the pensioner that he was a serving officer.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that the drug addict then frisked Mr Fairbairn, got his hands on the wallet and then ran off with it. However, the incident was witnessed by a member of the public who contacted police.

Officers then managed to track down Kerr, who has several previous convictions, and took him into custody.

Kerr yesterday pleaded guilty to robbing and assaulting Mr Fairbairn, on April 9, before Sheriff Gordon Liddle.

The court heard that Kerr had been “fairly intoxicated” when he was taken into custody.