Police hunting the person who took a uniform from one of their cars were given a big clue where it had gone.

Joseph Freeman posted a photograph of himself on Facebook wearing the uniform with a suspected cannabis cigarette in his hand.

The 25-year-old had been at his mother’s home in St Bart’s Road, Sandwich, in December last year when officers arrived to an unrelated incident.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how Freeman, now of High Street, Herne Bay, became aggressive towards the police and his mother after the police vehicle was parked nearby.

The following day a resident spoke with a police community support officer about the photograph on Freeman’s Facebook account. Freeman was arrested and during an interview called the interviewing police officer a “fraggle”, “a paedo” and “a nonce”.

He was put in a cell, which was then found to have been damaged by the door being scratched. Freeman underwent a strip search to find the weapon he had used.

Now he has been given a £350 fine after admitting being in possession “of articles of police clothing”, damaging a police cell and being in breach of a suspended sentence.

Prosecutor Trevor Wright told the court how, at 1am on December 20, police went to the Sandwich address.

He said: “On arriving the officers parked their car outside the house, in which was a police constable’s kit bag. And while two officers were talking to Freeman’s mother, Donna Faggs, he became agitated.

“The officers then left the property but at 6.40am a picture of the defendant wearing a police uniform appeared on his Facebook account. He was also smoking something which had all the appearances of being a cannabis cigarette. He was then arrested and taken to Canterbury police station.

“Freeman’s mother then called the station to say she was now in possession of the missing kitbag which had two sets of handcuffs, a beanie hat and a multi-tool.”

Freeman, who was said to suffer from ADHD, was also ordered to pay £250 court costs.