Decorated Met police officer is jailed for 16 months for stealing money from Italian filmmaker’s corpse as he lay dead on busy street

A decorated veteran Metropolitan Police officer who pinched money from the wallet of a dead man has been sent to prison.

Shameless former PC Craig Carter stole around £115 in cash from filmmaker Claudio Gaetani after being handed his possessions while helping preserve the scene following the victim’s sudden death.

Mr Gaetani, 45, was said to have suffered a heart attack while cycling to meet friends in Hornsey, north London, two years ago.

But Carter, 51, who was part of the local ‘safer neighbourhood team’ and received a Borough Commander’s commendation for saving a man’s life following a machete attack, instead helped himself to the victim’s cash, only declaring to police that ‘around £6 and six euro’ was in Mr Gaetani’s possession at the time.

Wood Green Crown Court in north London heard Carter sought to blame colleagues after suspicions were raised days later, saying he did not search Mr Gaetani’s body and only looked through the wallet when it was handed to him to put in the evidence bag.

Claudio Gaetani, 45, an Italian filmmaker, was said to have suffered a heart attack during morning rush hour while cycling to meet an Italian couple he was staying with

But the court heard he tried to conceal the evidence by stating that the body-worn camera footage of the incident – in which he was heard counting the money, undermining his claim that there was only a small amount of cash in it – was available for deletion.

Judge Kaly Kaul KC sentenced father-of-two Carter, of Harlow in Essex, to 16 months in prison, describing his crime as ‘abhorrent’.

She acknowledged the shamed officer’s previous work – including during terror attacks in the capital – but said: ‘You threw all of that away.

‘You let down your force, you let down your community, and you stole from a man, an Italian tourist, who died tragically.

‘You saw a man in the most vulnerable position a human can be in, deceased, alone, and you took from his wallet.’

She said she was not able to suspend the sentence, despite overcrowding issues in prison.

She added: ‘Police officers have powers and privileges much greater than any other person in our community, and it makes the possible abuse of that role very easy.

‘You were in a position of trust, perhaps more than any of us, and despite your good character it must be that your sentence is immediate.’

Carter, wearing a dark suit, striped shirt and a dark tie, stood with his hands clasped in front of him and made a small acknowledgement of his family in the public gallery as he was sent down.

A family member in the public gallery muttered ‘wow’ as the sentence was passed.

Prosecutor Helena Duong said Carter was one of two police officers sent to the scene to help set up cordons and deal with the public after the tragic death of Mr Gaetani.

Carter was in charge of the evidence bag, and placed into it the victim’s wallet and passport.

Mr Gaetani had arrived from his native Italy the night before for a theatre festival in the Southbank when he suddenly died

But he was later heard on his own body-worn camera footage – apparently while on his own in his police car – counting the money which Mr Gaetani exchanged when he arrived in the UK the night before he died, amounting to around £115 and 20 euro.

The prosecutor said Carter later submitted his possessions into a police evidence store, but only claimed there was £6 and six euro.

He pocketed the rest, and marked the body-worn footage could be deleted within the month, the court heard.

But Michela Marzan, a friend Mr Gaetani was staying with, raised a complaint when police told her there was only a small amount of money in the wallet – something she knew to be incorrect.

The body-worn footage was viewed, days before it was due to be deleted, and Carter was questioned by police.

Ms Duong said: ‘PC Carter denied having stolen any money and described being horrified at being accused of theft.

‘He said he didn’t search the body, it was others. He said he looked through the wallet to establish the identity of the deceased.’

Carter subsequently refused to answer police questions but in a prepared statement said he denied the allegation and was ‘appalled’ to be accused of stealing from anyone, ‘let alone the deceased’.

He later pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in a public office.

He was subsequently dismissed from the Met, ending his 23-year career.

Miss Marzan said in a statement referenced in court that Mr Gaetani’s family were ‘devastated’ by what happened.

She said: ‘The circumstances surrounding it (his death) have only added to their pain, and their trust in the police has been severely damaged.’

Defence counsel James Nash said his client, a carer for his disabled wife, was ‘deeply ashamed of his actions’.

He added: ‘He has been dismissed and disgraced and will never work in his chosen career again.’

He said the theft was ‘spontaneous’.

Carter said he could not remember stealing the money.

Wood Green Crown Court in north London heard Carter sought to blame colleagues after suspicion, saying he did not search Mr Gaetani’s body and only looked through the wallet when it was handed to him to put in the evidence bag

The court previously heard Mr Gaetani collapsed and died on the street during morning rush hour while cycling to meet friends on September 8 2022.

He had only arrived from his native Italy the night before for a theatre festival on the Southbank.

Carter, who at the time was based with the Met’s North Area Command Unit in the Enfield and Haringey area, was subsequently suspended from duty.

Friends described Mr Gaetani as ‘the type of person when you meet you can fall in love with, absolutely cheerful and positive, even with his physical condition of dwarfism he was never saying no to any adventure’.

Tetteh Turkson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, previously said Carter fell ‘woefully short’ of the public’s expectations of a police officer.

He added: ‘The fact Carter thought he could freely steal from a victim who had sadly passed away is not only disturbing, but deeply disrespectful to the victim’s family. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.

‘After collaborative work from the CPS and Metropolitan Police Service, Carter was left with no option but to plead guilty and face the consequences of his actions.’

Detective Superintendent Marco Bardetti previously said the evidence against Carter ‘could not be denied’.

‘In September 2022, PC Carter was responsible for looking after a man who had sadly died in the street, as well as taking responsibility for his personal possessions,’ he added.

‘A family, struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one, should not be put in a position where they have to make a complaint against an officer, suspecting that they have taken money.

‘The Met is not an organisation that will tolerate such behaviour.’