A former police officer who was thrown out of the force over an alleged racism incident has been jailed for four months for fraud.

Wayne Bell, from Gravesend, forged his girlfriend’s name on a loan application form.

Bell obtained £20,000 to pay debts, but also bought himself a Jaguar sports coupe car for just over £8,000.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Bell, 33, and his partner had been together for eight years and bought a house in Cross Lane West in joint names.

Jane Scotchmer, prosecuting, said the couple separated in May last year and Miss Southall then discovered Bell had taken out the loan, secured against the property, and signed her name on the form.

Bell was at the time an officer with the Metropolitan Police.

Miss Scotchmer said Bell, now a manager at a Bluewater fashion shop, discovered his partner had been having an affair and she moved out.

Bell also asked a detective constable to look at his case file and see how it was going. The officer refused and reported it to his superiors.

Bell, who admitted making a false declaration, was suspended from the force after making monkey noises at a black suspect in the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.

A firearms officer at the time, Bell put his hands under his arms to mimic an ape as the man stood in a “holding cage” at a police station.

He was later cleared in court of racially aggravated behaviour but sacked in May last year after several inquiries said to have cost taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds.

Alan Walmsley, defending, said Bell took out the loan to pay off a considerable debt. He had financed his partner, who had been a student, and had difficulty paying the mortgage.

He said: “That is why he foolishly signed the document on his partner’s behalf. It doesn’t need me to comment on the embarrassment this has caused to him.”

Mr Justice Penry-Davey said it was a sad situation when somebody of Bell’s background admitted such an offence and faced the prospect of imprisonment.

The judge said the offence, which carried a maximum sentence of 10 years, was so serious that there had to be immediate custody.

He said: “I am able in the circumstances to make it a significantly shorter period than would otherwise have been the case.”