A SHAMED Gwent police officer was led away from a court in handcuffs yesterday, jailed for three months for theft.

We revealed last month how PC Jonathan Ellis, 32, stole £80 from a purse handed to him as lost property in an undercover sting by his colleagues. Now, he is almost certain to lose his job.

At Newport magistrates' court yesterday, chairman of the bench William Hard said the offence of theft was "such a massive breach of trust" that only custody could be justified.

Mr Hard said: "Offences by police officers affect not only the police force but the public perception of that force."

He reduced the sentence from four to three months custody because of Ellis's early guilty plea.

Ellis, of Stockholm Place, Lea, Ross-on-Wye, who previously lived in Mardy, Abergavenny, was visibly upset when he was taken from the dock to the cells. He had pleaded guilty to the offence in September.

Ellis, who served at Abergavenny police station, will not receive special treatment in prison but the Home Office said if there were difficulties the position would be reviewed.

Martyn Morgan, prosecuting, said a Gwent Police operation was used to catch Ellis.

An undercover officer handed Ellis a purse with £80 in used notes while he was measuring the speed of traffic on Old Hereford Road on September 14.

The undercover officer told divorced father-of-two Ellis the purse was lost property.

When Ellis handed the purse in at Abergavenny police station, the cash was missing.

Mr Morgan said Ellis told arresting officers: "The opportunity was there, so I took it."

He said Ellis was experiencing financial problems at the time of the offence.

Martin Brown, defending, said the offence was isolated and the amount of cash small.

He said: "This has effectively wrecked the rest of his life and he cannot go back to a position of trust."

Mr Brown said any length of prison sentence would be "grave punishment" because of his job as a police officer.

A police misconduct hearing will be held tomorrow.