A man who pretended to be a police officer and tried to breathalyse a motorist was driving a car he had taken earlier that day.

Blackburn magistrates heard the victim locked his car when he was approached by Dillon Stuart Murgatroyd, who he knew from school days, and who he also knew as a criminal and not a police officer.

Murgatroyd, 24, a Padiham man of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer and taking a car without consent.

He was jailed for 16 weeks and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge on release.

Peter Kelly, prosecuting, said the Mercedes Benz car, valued at £22,000, had been parked up by the owner because of a mechanical problem.

When she returned the following day, the vehicle had gone.

Later that day a man was sitting in his car with a friend when Murgatroyd approached.

He said he was a police officer and required the driver to come and sit in the back of his car because he suspected he had been drink driving.

“He immediately locked his doors because he recognised the defendant as someone he used to go to school with,” said Mr Kelly.

“He was certain he wasn’t a police officer because he was aware of his involvement in criminal offences.”

When the victim drove off the defendant followed flashing his lights.

The police were alerted and an officer began following both vehicles.

When Murgatroyd sped off the officer disengaged for public safety reasons.

Mark Williams, mitigating, said his client had been recalled to prison as a result of the offences.

“He says he knew the car owner and had a key for the vehicle which is why there was no damage caused,” said Mr Williams.

He said Murgatroyd saw the other man’s vehicle in the area where his family lived and thought it was suspicious.

“He went over and basically wanted it to move on,” said Mr Williams.

“He didn’t dress up in any kind of uniform or show any kind of documentation to suggest he was a police officer.”