A binman who invented a long and distinguished military career in an attempt to avoid a mandatory five-year jail term has been jailed for even longer – for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Paul Berryman, 62, claimed he had served with the Parachute Regiment between 1979 and 2007 in the hope his service to his country would help him avoid a period behind bars after admitting a firearms offence.

But the sentencing judge became suspicious after spotting basic spelling mistakes on what he claimed were official Army documents and ordered an investigation.

It revealed that Berryman had not only been in the Army for less than two weeks before being discharged but had also served a jail term when he claimed to be on active duty.

Despite being caught in the lie, he continued to proclaim his innocence to police and his trial jury, who took just 88 minutes to convict him of attempting to pervert the course of justice earlier this year.

He has now been jailed for six years – five years for the firearms offence and a consecutive 12-month term for lying in court – after appearing again in front of eagle-eyed Judge Anthony Bate, who uncovered the falsified evidence, and who criticised him for his ‘utterly bogus’ claims.

‘The lie as to your military service was sustained right up to and during your 2025 trial,’ he added.

Police went to Berryman’s home in Dickleburgh, Norfolk, in 2018 and seized a shotgun.

Paul Berryman, 62, invented an 'utterly bogus' 28-year military career in the Parachute Regiment in the hope he would avoid a mandatory jail term for possession of a prohibited firearm

Paul Berryman, 62, invented an ‘utterly bogus’ 28-year military career in the Parachute Regiment in the hope he would avoid a mandatory jail term for possession of a prohibited firearm

He later admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and appeared at Norwich Crown Court to be sentenced.

The charge attracts the automatic jail term unless there are exceptional circumstances – which Berryman argued he was entitled to due to his military career, which had left him with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in war zones including the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands.

But when Judge Bate checked ‘official’ documents he handed over as proof, he was surprised to find words like ‘parachute’, ‘military’, ‘Falklands’ and ‘battalion’ had been spelt incorrectly.

The hearing was adjourned and checks showed that, while he had enlisted in the British Army on November 23, 1979, he was discharged less than a fortnight later without even completing his basic training.

In a police interview, he shamelessly maintained the deceit, insisting he had been medically discharged in 2007 and served with the Queen’s Regiment throughout, although he was attached to the second and third battalions of the Parachute Regiment.

Berryman told officers: ‘I can’t understand why my records can’t be found. I have no reason to lie, I just want a quiet life.’

He complained his regiment had ‘turned away from me’ but insisted the ‘truth will out’.

During his trial in February, prosecutor Hannah Gladwell said Berryman had falsely claimed to have had a ‘distinguished military career between 1979 and 2007’ but had left due to PTSD caused by his ‘violent’ service.

Judge Anthony Bate jailed Berryman for five years for the firearms offence - and an extra year on top for attempting to pervert the course of justice

Judge Anthony Bate jailed Berryman for five years for the firearms offence – and an extra year on top for attempting to pervert the course of justice

This was faked, she explained, in the hope of avoiding jail for the shotgun offence.

Referring to the paperwork Berryman had provided to the judge at his sentencing hearing, Ms Gladwell told the jury: ‘If this was a genuine document from the British Army, you would have expected it to be spelt correctly.’

The defendant also claimed that he had been based with the Parachute Regiment at Merville Barracks in Colchester, Essex, after his basic training.

But the prosecutor pointed out the regiment had only moved there from Aldershot, Hampshire, in 2008.

‘He couldn’t have served in the Parachute Regiment there in 1979 because it was not there,’ she added.

With the case back in court yesterday for sentencing, prosecutor Marc Brown said the shotgun was not intended ‘for a criminal purpose’.

But he added the ‘lie’ about military service was not only made in front of the original sentencing judge but also ‘put before a jury during trial’.

Berryman had 13 convictions for 30 previous offences, nine of which took place during the period he claimed to be a soldier, he said.

Berryman persisted with the lie during a trial at Norwich Crown Court, where a jury took just 88 minutes to convict him of attempting to pervert the course of justice

Berryman persisted with the lie during a trial at Norwich Crown Court, where a jury took just 88 minutes to convict him of attempting to pervert the course of justice

They included a conviction at Norwich Magistrates Court in February 1989 for theft, criminal damage, failure to surrender to bail, two offences of taking a conveyance without authority and theft from a vehicle, for which he was jailed for six months.

Berryman – who represented himself at his trial and sentence hearing – claimed he had developed PTSD after having ‘lost two daughters’ and suffered depression after the breakdown of a 22-year relationship.

The decision to fake a military career was a ‘horrible mistake’ and he was ‘deeply sorry’, he added.

Jailing him, Judge Bate said the welfare of a cat and dog at his home, now in Diss, Norfolk, needed to be attended to.

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