Man 'lied about distinguished 30-year military career to avoid jail - one thing let him down'

Paul Berryman, 62, had admitted possessing a prohibited shotgun, an offence which has a mandatory jailhouse condemnation of 5 years unless determination are exceptional circumstances

A antheral who attempted to debar a situation sentencing by falsely claiming helium had a vocation successful the Parachute Regiment was caught retired by his atrocious spelling, a tribunal has heard.

Paul Berryman, 62, had admitted to possession of a prohibited shotgun, an offence which has a mandatory jailhouse condemnation of 5 years, unless determination are exceptional circumstances. He allegedly tried to debar a situation condemnation for the offence successful 2019 by claiming helium had served successful the British Army for astir 30 years betwixt 1979 and 2007.

Berryman claimed helium had been near with station traumatic accent upset aft serving with the Parachute Regiment successful the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Falklands. But during his sentencing proceeding a justice became suspicious aft helium allegedly submitted faked documents astir his Army service, containing a fig of basal spelling errors.

Norwich Crown Court heard however the words "parachute", "military", "Falklands" and "battalion" were each spelled incorrectly. The justice adjourned his sentencing proceeding arsenic an probe into his grounds was carried out.

It recovered helium had enlisted successful the British Army connected November 23, 1979, and was discharged little than 2 weeks later, connected December 5, earlier helium could adjacent implicit his basal training. Berryman, of Willbye Avenue, Diss, Norfolk, has present been charged with perverting the people of justice. He has denied the offence.

Hannah Gladwell, prosecuting said Berryman had falsely claimed to person had a "distinguished subject vocation betwixt 1979 and 2007" earlier leaving the Army owed to suffering PTSD arsenic a effect of his "violent" service.

She said helium had tried to marque retired helium was an "armed services veteran" who had served for "a fig of years "in bid to show his exceptional circumstances to effort and debar jailhouse for having the shotgun successful November 2018 Berryman who is representing himself successful tribunal had provided documents, including a grounds of his subject work and a notation from a retired elder officer, she said.

But the tribunal heard "there were a fig of errors" successful the paperwork causing the sentencing justice successful 2019 to "question the authenticity of the documents provided". Miss Gladwell told the assemblage of 10 women and 2 men: "If this was a genuine papers from the British Army you would've expected it to beryllium spelt correctly."

Berryman claimed helium was based with the Parachute Regiment astatine Merville Barracks successful Colchester, Essex, aft his basal training.
But Miss Gladwell said that though the regiment was present based there, it lone moved to the Essex determination successful 2008.

Previously, it was successful Aldershot, Hampshire. She added: "He couldn't person served successful the Parachute Regiment determination successful 1979 due to the fact that it was not there". The proceedings continues.