Cheeky Nando’s spying solicitor sentenced

Along with the punishment handed down last week, Johnstone was also ordered to pay £650 in court costs, with a £114 surcharge, and to complete 260 hours of supervised unpaid work.

The sentencing comes after a one-day trial at the same court where the 34-year-old MAJ Law director was found guilty of one count of impersonating a police officer.

Commencing on 22 July 2025, the case commenced when staff members at a Nando’s restaurant in Warrington received a phone call from a man who identified himself as police Constable Matthew Gregory from Cheshire police’s domestic violence unit.

“Gregory” told staff that he had been investigating an incident between two parties, a man and a woman, who had attended the restaurant on 21 July, going on to say that, as part of the investigation, CCTV footage of the two people involved was needed, and provided descriptions of the individuals.

In the phone call, the supposed officer was asked to sign a CCTV footage release form, and subsequently provided the staff member with what seemed to be a Cheshire police email address.

Once this occurred, he then asked for an urgent response and for the footage to be sent his way immediately.

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By 25 July, the matter progressed as another employee examined the video and sought to contact the purported Gregory via email, intending to verify that the pair under investigation had indeed been at the eatery.

Yet, it appeared that the emails she had sent him were not being delivered, and following numerous attempts to contact him, the Nando’s staff member opted to call Cheshire police.

However, after following an explanation that she had been trying to get in contact with police Constable Matthew Gregory, the staff member was quickly informed that there was no officer under such a name who worked within Cheshire Constabulary.

Subsequently, officers then commenced an investigation into who “Constable Gregory” could actually be.

Investigators discovered that the email address used to communicate with the restaurant employees did not belong to a legitimate Cheshire police domain; instead, it had been briefly acquired by Connor Johnstone, who works as a specialist solicitor.

On the site used to purchase the email domain, Johnstone had entered his date of birth, phone number, and address, which ultimately led to officers discovering him.

Detective Constable Darroch, of the protecting vulnerable people unit, spoke on the matter, noting that Johnstone would have been well aware of his exploitive actions.

“You do not have to be a solicitor to know that impersonating a police officer is a very serious offence, so Connor Johnstone will have been well aware that his actions were illegal.

“Under the guise of this persona, and armed with false email that would have looked legitimate to the uninitiated, Johnstone took advantage of two employees who were simply looking to assist with what they thought was an official police investigation.

“Johnstone clearly counted his own chickens before they hatched, as his decision to play pretend police officer has ultimately resulted in him causing permanent damage to his own reputation,” Detective Darroch said.

Having voluntarily attended for a police interview, Johnstone refused to answer all questions put to him, exercising his right to remain silent.

“If you are contacted or approached by anyone you believe is pretending to be a police officer, I would strongly urge you to contact Cheshire Police.

“Genuine officers will always be happy to verify their identity; if you are unsure, you can ask to see a warrant card and, if necessary, call 101 to confirm an officer’s details,” Detective Darroch said.