A POLICE officer has gone on trial accused of telling a Johnstone woman he was due to arrest to “take a walk” – so she wouldn’t be in when he went to her door.

Constable Gordon Henry, 42, appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court last week charged with neglect of duty.

He denies breaking the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 when told to arrest Lynn Pearson at her home in Graham Street on six means warrants – documents issued for failing to appear at court over unpaid fines.

Prosecutors allege PC Henry “did neglect or violate” his duty when “required to serve and execute a warrant” and “did telephone the said Lynn Pearson and warn her that you were on your way to said address for the purpose of executing said warrants and did invite her to ‘take a walk’ and induce her to leave said address to avoid apprehension in respect of said warrants”.

Constable Brian Kelly, who has 17 years’ police service, was the first witness in the case and said he was on duty with PC Henry on December 4, 2015.

He said he received a call over the radio that they were to attend Miss Pearson’s home and arrest her on the means warrants.

But he said that, when they got there, there was “no trace” of her.

PC Kelly said he checked behind the couch and looked in the back garden but they could not find her.

He added: “We searched the area for her and then we just headed back to the office.”

When asked by QC Gordon Jackson, defending PC Henry, if he ever exercised discretion regarding arresting people on means warrants if the person involved was somebody he knew, PC Kelly replied: “I would go and speak to them and let them know there’s a means warrant, update the sergeant and then take them to the police office.”

He said he would “always” arrest someone on a means warrant and would never make the decision on not arresting them without speaking to a sergeant first. The constable added he was aware of instances when officers would not normally arrest people on means warrants, like when it is a Bank Holiday or when there are “big football matches”.

Mr Jackson asked what he would do if he saw someone who had an outstanding means warrant while they were on the street “in the middle of a large group of people who were anti-police”.

PC Kelly said it would be “too dangerous” to arrest someone in those circumstances.

PC Henry, whose address was given as care of Police Scotland’s professional standards department in Glasgow, denies the charges.

The trial was adjourned.