PC Amar Hussain guilty of bogus IS kidnap alert Published duration 3 May 2016

image caption PC Amar Tasaddiq Hussain, Adil Bashir and Muhammad Sheikh (left to right) denied perverting the course of justice but were found guilty at Stafford Crown Court

A PC who falsely claimed a fellow officer was going to be kidnapped by terrorists has been convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Amar Hussain, 29, was involved in a hoax 999 call claiming an officer would be kidnapped by a radical Muslim with links to so-called Islamic State.

The call led to West Midlands Police putting in "unprecedented" measures to check officers' safety, jurors heard.

At Stafford Crown Court, two other men were convicted of the same charges.

Hussain, along with civilians Adil Bashir, 26, and Muhammad Ali Sheikh, 31, were all found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice.

Judge Michael Chambers QC said Hussain, of Yardley, Birmingham, was guilty of a "vast breach of trust".

media caption PC 'sparked bogus IS kidnap alert'

All three defendants were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced on 27 May.

During the trial, the prosecution told the court how all police on the West Midlands force had to call to report getting home safely due to the threat made on 8 December 2014.

Jurors heard Hussain hoped his fake tip-off would discredit an official within Dawat-E-Islami, a peaceful Muslim prayer group, who he held a grudge against.

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, from West Midlands Police, said Hussain's actions "let down" the force and risked losing the public's trust.

"The impact of the threat had a huge effect on officers and staff and in turn on their loved ones," he said.

"Never before have we had to instruct officers and staff to call in after their tour of duty to let us know they had returned home safely."