A POLICEMAN who was signed off sick with a bad back was caught on camera taking part in karate sessions at his local gym, lifting weights and exercising energetically, a disciplinary hearing was told.

While off sick for months, police constable Tony Alderman improved his karate moving up from a yellow belt to an orange.

His sessions at the gym happened while he had told bosses at Thames Valley Police his back was so bad he could not lift anything heavier than an empty cardboard box.

The officer, based at Banbury Police Station, quit the police after being caught out and confronted with video footage of his karate capers and failed to attend Thursday's misconduct hearing.

He was found guilty of gross misconduct in his absence.

The officer had said he felt a twinge in his back followed by lower back pain after he had climbed up a ladder and through a window while on active duty last year.

The karate constable had been to see his GP on May 18 and been signed off work.

He claimed he was unable to get out of bed or stand up straight without being in agony.

When he did return to work months later, he said he was too weak to lift anything more than an empty box tray and could only complete restricted duties.

However, the disciplinary hearing was told that PC Alderman had attended karate sessions eight times between May 14 and July 18 2018 and had even successfully attained his orange belt in a 90-minute grading tournament on July 3.

Throughout this period was signed off sick from Thames Valley Police.

A surveillance operation mounted by the police on PC Alderman, revealed he had been complementing his training at the karate centre in Banbury by going to weekly gym sessions.

He had protested in a misconduct disciplinary interview that he was under stress and he had lied to protect a woman he was having a relationship with.

Presiding at the misconduct hearing at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington, panel chairman John Bassett said the allegations amounted to gross misconduct.

He said: “The officer deliberately exaggerated the symptoms of his condition to put off returning to work for as long as possible and, having returned, to put off returning to full duties for as long as possible.”

PC Alderman was signed off work by his GP twice, meaning he was on leave until June 18, but he attended three more karate sessions during the period and said nothing to supervisors.

He was confronted with the surveillance evidence of his workout regime and the tribunal heard he said: “It doesn’t look good, does it?”

Mr Oulton said: “He should have said 'I’ve done some stupid things here, I have not been straight with you about this and here is the reason for it'.

"But he did not do any of that.”

A Police Federation representative, police constable Gary Taitt, read out a short note from Alderman, which said he was proud to have served the public in his time as an officer in Thames Valley Police.”