A man has pleaded guilty to dressing up as a decorated naval officer at a Remembrance Sunday ceremony.
Jonathan Carley was charged with wearing uniform or dress bearing the mark of His Majesty’s Forces without permission.
The 65-year-old wore a realistic Rear Admiral uniform with 12 medals pinned to his jacket at the ceremony in Llandudno, north Wales on November 9 last year.
He was seen walking in formation towards a war memorial, before laying a wreath then saluted the memorial alongside real officers and veterans.
Online amateur sleuths raised suspicions after spotting photos that showed he was wearing two medals that are believed to have never both been awarded to one member of the military.
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These were the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), awarded for gallantry in combat, and the Volunteer Reserves Medal, awarded for exemplary service in the reserves.
After the online revelations went viral, Carley, from Harlech in Gwynedd, Wales, was arrested at his home on November 14, telling police ‘I was expecting you’.
He told officers the naval uniform was issued to him legitimately when he was in the cadets but he had rear admiral rings added by a tailor and he had bought medals online.
At Llandudno Magistrates’ Court today, district judge Gwyn Jones fined Carley £500 and ordered him to pay £85 towards prosecution costs and a £200 surcharge.
The judge said: ‘It’s a sad reflection upon you that you chose to do such a thing on a very difficult day for so many.’
James Neary, prosecuting, said at the ‘well attended’ service, Carley wore medals including for service in Iraq and Syria and approached organisers to introduce himself.
He said: ‘The defendant was allowed to lay a wreath. He did so, he saluted and stood among other dignitaries.’
In interview, he told police he had wanted a sense of ‘belonging and affirmation’.
A Rear Admiral is one of the highest ranks in the Navy.
Speaking after the incident, Llandudno councillor Greg Robbins said: ‘The man was challenged by the parade marshal, but stated that he was of a certain rank, and that he was representing the Lord Lieutenant’s office.
‘The parade marshal was left with little choice but to accommodate him in the wreath-laying ceremony.
‘The most important thing with Remembrance Sunday ceremonies is that they are suitably dignified, as this one was.’
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