Clifford Mendes lost his job after taking a few spoonfuls of coffee

by Angela Cole

Paranoid police set up a CCTV sting and raided a man's house after a few spoonfuls of coffee disappeared.

The surveillance operation inside Tonbridge Police Station caught contract cleaner Clifford Mendes, 53, dipping into a jar of Maxwell House on his break.

But police didn't stop there with their efforts to nail their suspect.

Officers executed a search warrant at his home in Maidstone to track down the offending jar of coffee and, although they did not find it, arrested him.

Following an interview at the police station, Mr Mendes - who also worked at the Coldharbour police base - was cautioned for theft and sacked.

Mr Mendes, of St Philips Avenue, said: "It was just a few spoonfuls of coffee, as I found some had gone from my jar.

"I just put a little bit back from another one, and that's what they showed me film of. They kept asking me about bananas that had been taken, but I didn't take anything else."

Clifford Mendes was caught stealing coffee at Tonbridge Police Station

After signing the caution in October, Mr Mendes found himself sacked from his four-and-half-year job with cleaning contract firm QAS.

And since then he has been unable to find work as CRB checks bring up the caution for miscellaneous theft.

He said: "I just signed it because I wanted it to end. It was a nightmare. They never told me about anything else that they thought I had taken; it was just the coffee.

"But now I can't get another job as it is on my record. I feel as though I have been made a scapegoat."

Mr Mendes has written to the chief constable Ian Learmonth, to appeal his caution, but was told that cautions are only removed from a person's record in exceptional circumstances - and that his would stay.

Police say Mr Mendes' caution related to theft of coffee, an officer's shirt, and some petty cash, although Mr Mendes disputs this saying: "It was only for the coffee."

DI Chris Benson, from Kent Police, said: "Honesty and integrity of these employees must always be upheld. In this instance, a sub contractor admitted to stealing property from Tonbridge police station on a number of occasions."