The 26-year-old wore a police’s inspector’s uniform and told a driver he had earned the rank as he wrongly tried to prosecute him for speeding.

And a canister of police-issue CS spray was found in Atterbury’s own car when he was arrested after being reported by other officers.

Jailing him for 18 months at Warwick Crown Court, Judge Marten Coates told him: “I am absolutely amazed you’re here before this court.

“You have a family and a job and you became a special constable. You then had this aberration.”

The judge added: “The public can have confidence in part-time officers like yourself – because it was officers like you who brought your offending to light.”

Atterbury, 26, of Church Street, Brownhills, Walsall, was also banned from driving for three years after admitting doing acts intended to pervert the course of justice, two charges of dangerous driving, and illegally possessing a CS spray.

Nigel Wilkins, prosecuting, said Atterbury was spotted wearing an inspector’s uniform at Aldridge police station on August 11 last year.

He then responded to a report of a robbery in a police car he was not authorised to drive.

The court heard he drove at excessive speed with the blue lights and sirens on and went through red lights on the wrong side of the road in the face of other traffic.

Mr Wilkins said Atterbury later followed a Jaguar he claimed was speeding, with lights and sirens on, and claimed he was an inspector when he told the driver he was being prosecuted for speeding.

Atterbury claimed he took the CS spray home by mistake but gave no explanation for posing as an inspector, said Mr Wilkins.

Wykeham Garsia, defending, said: “He wanted to be a full-time police officer, but the force was not recruiting at that time.

“It was at the time of the riots. He was anxious to impress and volunteered for extra work. All the excitement got him in a state where he indulged in a spot of fantasy.”