A Metropolitan Police officer has been jailed after he stole money from a filmmaker who collapsed and died in the street. 

Italian actor and filmmaker Claudio Gaetani, who was 45 and had dwarfism, was visiting London for a theatre festival at the Southbank Centre when he collapsed and died while cycling to meet friends. 

Pc Craig Carter, formerly of the Met’s North Area Command Unit which covers Enfield and Haringey, then stole £115 from Mr Gaetani. 

At Wood Green Crown Court on Friday (September 13) Judge Kalyani Kaul KC described Carter’s career, and noted that he has raised two daughters, and has a “strong” marriage with his wife who he cares for. 

She then told him: “On the 7th of September, two years ago, you threw all of that away – you let down your force, you let down your community”. 

Judge Kaul jailed him for 16 months. 

Carter was dismissed from the force without notice in August after serving for 23 years. 

The force launched an investigation after one of Mr Gaetani’s friends found money missing from Mr Gaetani’s wallet when she collected his belongings from the police, the newspaper reported. 

She told The Mirror: “I think it is really disrespectful. I was really, really upset.” 

Her husband, who attended university with Mr Gaetani, told the outlet he was “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. We spent a lot of time travelling.” 

Tetteh Turkson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, 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.”