Unrepentent fake war hero is sentenced...

[dutchman]

Fantasist wore haul of fake medals on Remembrance Day march 'to impress his young wife'

Medal man Roger Day arrives at Nuneaton Magistrates court this morning

An SAS imposter who marched at a Remembrance Day parade with an impossible array of medals today admitted in court that he fabricated a military career to impress a woman 24 years his junior.

Fantasist Roger Day, 62, bragged about his bravery on the battlefield to seduce his future wife Maxine Day, 38, when they first met at an opera club in early 2000.

But he got ‘carried away with the fantasy’ and continued making up stories so that he could be the ‘hero figure’ for the new love who was to become his third spouse.

The pair married in 2005 and Day even tricked Maxine into buying medals for him by claiming he had lost the originals.

Today, the father-of-three admitted military deception at Nuneaton Magistrates Court.

He was sentenced to 60 hours of community service and had his 17 medals confiscated. He was also ordered to pay £40 costs.

The court heard Day’s only military experience was as a teenager when did 18 months at a Junior Leaders Regiment - a former Army preparation scheme for youngsters - in 1963.

But Day billed himself as a seasoned war hero who had fought in dozens of battles because Maxine ‘needed a hero in her life’.

He told her that his 17 medals had been lost in action or sold and she set about replacing them for him ‘out of kindness’.

Day was caught out by eagle-eyed veterans at a Remembrance Day parade in Bedworth, Warwickshire, on November 11 last year.

He was wearing a dazzling collection of 17 medals from conflicts including the Korean and Gulf war when he was rumbled as he marched alongside 600 veterans.

Pinned to his lapel was the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross - in addition to campaign medals stretching from World War Two to the Gulf.

He also wore SAS insignia including a beret and a pin badge at the march.

Experts said that Day would have been a ‘world famous Rambo character’ if he had earned the medals in battles.

A member of the public complained to the police and Day was arrested and charged under Section 197 of the Military Act 1955.

James Francis, prosecuting, said: ‘The medals were displayed incorrectly and grouped with other medals which no such person could have collected.

‘Mr Day married his wife, who is 24 years younger than him, five years ago.

‘In order to maintain interest in him he made up stories about having served in the British Military and various accounts of bravery he was involved with.

‘Out of kindness his wife began to purchase the medals from collectors as various replacements for him.

‘He started wearing the medals over the years and began bragging and told stories to others while wearing the medals.

‘He attended local pubs with medals and insignia and told detailed stories to the vicar at the local church who then made him a church warden.

‘After marching in the parade on Remembrance Day he enjoyed refreshments with veterans and free coffee.’

Day pleaded guilty to a charge read out in court as: ‘On 11 November 2009 you wore a decoration on a badge, on a wing stripe and or on an emblem so nearly resembling a military decoration, badge, stripe or emblem as recognised by defence council as to be calculated to deceive contrary to section 197 1B of the act 1955.’

Simon Marlow-Ridley, defending, said that Day had been shunned by friends and neighbours and received hate mail since being exposed.

He said: ‘Mr Day did not realise it was an offence in what he was doing. Mr Day met his wife who has had some difficulties through her life.

‘He thought that she needed a hero in her life and that’s what he set out to be.

‘He started telling her stories that weren’t true and clearly she responded to them and unfortunately he got carried away with the fantasy.’ Magistrate Alan Jones ordered Day to perform community service but adjourned sentencing until a probation report is prepared.

He said: ‘You have pleaded guilty to this very unusual offence of wearing medals that you are not entitled to wear.

‘You have worn them publicly on more than one occasion.

‘On this occasion you will realise that you have deceived the general public and caused widespread outrage.

‘However, since owning up you have fully co-operated with the police and admitted the offence at the first opportunity.

‘It remains that you wore these medals initially and although no direct harm has been caused it has offended a lot of people, in particular the armed forces.

‘We believe that the most appropriate form of punishment is service to the community.’

After the hearing, Day, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, said: ‘There is no way that I knew what I was doing was an offence.

‘The medals were bought by my wife and she was hoping to sell them to make back some of the money we are lacking at the moment.

'She paid over £600 for them. I never want to look at them again.’

[pollyanna]

What an idiot - and all to impress his younger wife. They say there's no fool like an old fool.

He'll probably never live it down - but I guess his 'crime' is no worse that a certain Mr.Brown posing as a Prime Minister -

[StevieG]

As an ex regular army squaddie, I was absolutely disgusted that a idiot could have the audacity to blatantly march with ex soldiers who had seen action and who rightly deserved to wear their medals with pride in this parade.
As for the sentence imposed by the court, I wish to God that I was the magistrate who heard the case and his ears would have been ringing to the point of deafness and 60 hours community service would not have entered my thoughts.
I would personally like to see this idiot taken to Selly Oak Hosp. in B'ham and see the lads who have done service in Iraq & Afghanistan and realise,hopefully, what a disservice he had done.
Personally, I am very,very pleased that he has lost his job and been shunned by all and sundry in this very distasteful episode

[yourworstnightmare]

As an ex regular army squaddie, I was absolutely disgusted that a idiot could have the audacity to blatantly march with ex soldiers who had seen action and who rightly deserved to wear their medals with pride in this parade.
As for the sentence imposed by the court, I wish to God that I was the magistrate who heard the case and his ears would have been ringing to the point of deafness and 60 hours community service would not have entered my thoughts.
I would personally like to see this idiot taken to Selly Oak Hosp. in B'ham and see the lads who have done service in Iraq & Afghanistan and realise,hopefully, what a disservice he had done.
Personally, I am very,very pleased that he has lost his job and been shunned by all and sundry in this very distasteful episode

I couldnt of put it better my self, he is a disgrace to every person who ever served in the forces, i said it on another site i cant get on.
Pure first class who deserves everything he gets

[rebbonk]

He gets off because of a blunder....You couldn't make this up!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1252456/SAS-faker-Roger-Day-let-legal-blunder.html

[Angler]

I hope this tries to parade this year and the reception he will get will be worth seeing

[pollyanna]

I hope this tries to parade this year and the reception he will get will be worth seeing

He wouldn't dare - would he

[StevieG]

like him should be strung up from a lampost and I would love to be the chosen one to do it as this slimeball is the lowest of the low

[rebbonk]

The is now, "considering legal action against those who muddied his name!"

Only in the UK could this happen.

[StevieG]

He will be telling his "Big Story" from a hospital bed that is if he can speak through a broken jaw.
I can assure you Tom as an ex squaddie, like many more who have served this country and proud of it, that this better keep his mouth shut or he will rue the day that he had the affrontery to march with ex soldiers in the parade in Bedworth displaying medals that he has NO right to wear and hope that he has or his wife have disposed of them or the so called the money he gets from his so called "Big Story" will be buying him a new house preferably abroad as the one they live in now will not exist