A COP paid ￡150,000 while saying he was too injured to work was caught out by an app that showed him taking 10,000 steps a day.

       PC Matthew Littlefair, 36, claimed he “couldn’t even lift a kettle” after a car crash.

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       Former cop Matthew Littlefair was paid ￡150,000 while saying he was too injured to work but was caught out by an app that showed him taking 10,000 steps a day Credit: Solent

       He was on full pay and benefits for more than two years while he kept up the pretence.

       But he was spotted playing football with his kids, jogging and cycling — and even swinging an axe in his back garden.

       Investigators who examined his mobile found he had repeatedly been recorded taking 10,000 steps a day — the equivalent of five miles.

       Judge Robert Pawson said his crime would damage public confidence in the police.

       Referring to other police crimes, such as Sarah Everard’s rape and murder by Met officer Wayne Couzens, he said: “This case is during one of the worst years in recent policing history.”

       Littlefair, who has now quit the Dorset force, arrived at Salisbury crown court, Wilts, in a wheelchair and admitted fraud.

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       He had claimed he was able to exercise because he had taken excess quantities of painkillers.

       But blood tests found no trace of the medication in his system.

       The court heard he now has depression and a functional neurological disorder, which is why he requires a wheelchair.

       Littlefair, of Alderholt, Dorset, was jailed for two years and three months.

       Another hearing will deal with repaying the ￡149,764 obtained fraudulently.

       Steve Turner welcomes the challenges of his role as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland