A man built his own fake police car and used it to pull over and reprimand a woman driver, a court heard.
Oddball Robert Connolly, 24, spent thousands converting his aging black Vauxhall Corsa to look exactly like an unmarked patrol car.
The nine-year-old Y-reg motor came complete with blue flashing lights, siren and even an onboard control panel.
He was caught when real officers spotted him warning a female motorist and pulled him over themselves on June 14.
Connolly, an electrician, admitted impersonating a police officer and received a 12 month community order and ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service.
He was also fined £85 and had his siren and flashing lights confiscated.
The court heard Connolly became ”annoyed” by a woman driving a red Volvo and used his blue flashing lights to pull her over on the A45 Fletchamstead Highway near his home in Earlsdon, Coventry.
Pc Ross Cleaver, who arrested Connolly, said: ”The car was kitted out exactly the same way that one of our unmarked vehicles would be, with a siren and lights.
”He had obviously worked with some skill and knowledge.
”I pulled him over and asked him if he was a paramedic, he said no, I asked him if he was a policeman and he said no.
”I said in that case you had better come with me and arrested him.”
Connolly today admitted he had been ”stupid.”
He said: ”It was done out of annoyance rather than anything else and without thinking I put the lights on.
”I managed to kit out the car because of my trade but it had an isolation switch so I couldn’t use them on public roads.
”I have never used the lights on the public road before because it would be a very silly thing to do.
”At the time I didn’t think and I hadn’t fully thought through the repercussions of my actions.
”There was no malicious intent in what I did and I it wasn’t so much a matter of trying to convince the driver I was a police officer, but a matter of getting her attention which I had failed to do without the blue lights.
”It was stupid.”
