A POLICE officer who received a top award for bravery has been dismissed from his job after admitting five counts of fraud.

Adam McLean, 38, was sentenced to a community service order at Bournemouth Crown Court after defrauding a friend in his hometown of Sherborne.

He had met his 52-year-old victim in 2006 when he dealt with an incident in the town while on duty, and they then became friends.

The officer went on to abuse his position, and in 2012 used the victim’s bank account to pay off his own personal debts.

In 2008, McLean, of Yeovil, Somerset, received a Chief Constable’s Quality of Service Award after witnessing a car collide with a tree and land upside down on its roof.

He rang the emergency services before entering the car through a rear window, where he supported the weight of a seriously injured man and ensured he remained conscious.

At the same time, the then 32-year-old spoke to members of the public at the scene, arranging for them to carry out traffic control and direct the emergency services when they arrived.

But in the spring of last year, the disgraced officer took a total of £970 from his victim’s bank account in five separate transactions.

He admitted the charges in April, and on the same day was sentenced to a community service order to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work for each offence to run concurrently.

Following the conviction, he was dismissed from his job.

Superintendent Dave Thorp, of Dorset Police, said: “PC Adam McLean was working in a position of trust. He betrayed that trust and let down his colleagues and the police service.

His arrest, prosecution and subsequent dismissal by Chief Constable Debbie Simpson reinforces the fact that Dorset Police is committed to the highest levels of ethical policing and integrity.”