Scots cops jailed for trying to frame innocent men instead of investigating domestic

Two police officers have been jailed for violating their duty and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Connor Beggs and Kevin Montgomery deliberately botched an investigation into a domestic assault and framed two innocent men.

Beggs, 32, and Montgomery, 35, were found guilty last month following a trial at Greenock Sheriff Court and returned to the dock today, Thursday, January 22, 2026, to be sentenced.

Sheriff Tom Ward said: "Both of you have been found guilty of an abject dereliction of duty and, even worse, an attempt to pervert the course of justice.

"You reported two men for a crime you knew they did not commit.

"In my view this is egregious behaviour coming from those who are meant to uphold the law.

"The public interest demands that people who are convicted of crimes such as this are dealt with appropriately. 

"The fact of the matter is the offences were perpetrated by police officers on duty.

"This can only be dealt with by a custodial sentence to deter others and express the court's disapproval of such behaviour."

He jailed Montgomery, who had falsified witness statements from a man and a woman, for nine months and caged Beggs for eight months.

When he delivered the sentence, both their wives, who were sitting in the public gallery, began crying loudly.

They were convicted of ‘failing to conduct a full and thorough investigation’ and ‘failing to proactively pursue perpetrators’ over an incident at an Arnold Clark branch in Greenock in 2021.

They entered false information into Police Scotland systems and tried to conceal the existence of CCTV footage.

And they submitted a report to the procurator fiscal containing false information, implicating two men for a crime they knew they did not commit.

They failed to notify the police control room that they were dealing with a domestic incident, failed to take witness statements, failed to comply with operating procedures, failed to enter a record of the said offences, and failed to report the offenders to the procurator fiscal 'with all due speed'.

Their lawyers had asked for them to be spared prison and placed on Community Payback Orders.

Sheriff Ward was told that both were willing to be supervised by social workers, carry out unpaid work and adhere to a Restriction Of Liberty Order, which would see them fitted with an electronic tag and having to abide by a daily curfew, to avoid going to prison.

The court heard that Beggs had resigned from the force when he learned of the criminal investigation, seeing it as the last straw as a result of a number of issues while in the role.

And the court heard that Montgomery, who was still a serving officer, was expecting to lose his job when internal disciplinary proceedings came to an end.

Chief Superintendent Helen Harrison said: “We acknowledge the sentence. The actions of Montgomery and former officer Beggs go against everything Police Scotland stands for.

“All officers are bound by our Standards of Professional Behaviour, which apply on and off duty.

“It is right that policing is held to high standards at all times, and we will always support officers and staff acting with our values and standards at heart.

“The onus is on policing to build and maintain public confidence and consent, which is critical in our ability to keep our communities and citizens safe.

"The case for Montgomery will now be assessed for misconduct under the conduct regulations.”