Model jailed for wearing police uniform

A CHINESE model who posed for photos in a WPC's uniform on a photo-shoot has been jailed for nine months for impersonating a police officer.

The revealing pictures of Wang Xiaomen, 23, showed her getting dressed in an official-looking police woman's uniform.

But the pictures - taken to promote a new detective novel - created a furious row when Xiaomen tweeted three of the snaps on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

Playing along with the role, Xiaomen wrote: "As a new cop in my home town, I need to learn the basics. As one of the flowers of the force, I am under pressure. I have to eat and drink with government leaders every day. I am using my flower status to dine with the leaders and win contracts for projects and investments!" she added.

But the pictures were re-tweeted more than 500 times and local officials ordered real police officers to arrest her after some Weibo users complained.

Judges in Fengtai, Beijing, found her guilty of falsely impersonating a policewoman and sentenced her to nine months in prison, suspended for a year.

Xiaomen had told the court she'd been paid £300 for the modelling session and added: "The costume was just a prop, I was so ignorant."