Con artist Samuel Mark Narroway jailed for four years for impersonating a police officer

A serial con artist has been jailed for four years but a judge has serious concerns about his new choice of profession.

Samuel Mark Narroway impersonated a police officer three times in a 24 hour period and was sentenced to four years in prison for his crimes.

A recidivist con artist has been jailed for four years for impersonating a police officer but a court has expressed concerns about his next chosen profession: the Christian ministry.

Samuel Mark Narroway, 29, impersonated a police officer three times in a 24-hour period in September 2019.

He used what the court described as a “strong ability to manipulate others” to con one victim into withdrawing $290 cash to pay a fine and even placed one victim in handcuffs before driving him to the victim’s parent’s house.

On Friday, District Court Judge Joanne Tracey said Narroway had an “appalling history of deception” and had developed narcissistic personality traits to go along with sense of entitlement.

Samuel Narroway during an earlier court hearing in 2017.

“When asked to reflect on why you gravitated to fraud and dishonesty offences, you said ‘I find I am able to get away with it quicker and get more money out of it, I have always found it easy to be persuasive, I am a good sales person’,” she said.

“(An expert psychiatrist) believes you have developed … a preoccupation with power and success, poor empathy and a strong ability to manipulate others which is aided by your articulateness and superficial charm.”

Judge Tracey said that the reports showed that Narroway was a high risk of reoffending.

“It appears from a pre-sentence report I have received that you have chosen to undertake study in Christian ministry and theology,” she said.

“Given the qualities you have exhibited, your choice of study is a concern.”

Narroway appeared in court via videolink from prison, prominently displaying a crucifix on a chain around his neck.

Narroway and another man, who has yet to be plead to some of the charges, pulled their first victim over at 12.20am on September 6.

They told the Indian national that he shouldn’t have been driving on a legitimate international drivers licence and took him to an ATM to pay a fine they found in the victim’s car.

The man withdrew $300 to pay the fine and was given a fake receipt and $2 in change.

Just over two hours later Narroway pulled over a young woman driving to the city to pick up her boyfriend.

They claimed she had been driving more than 17km/h over the speed limit and that she would lose her licence for at least 28 days.

She sat in the front seat of the fake police car waiting for her boyfriend to join her.

Samuel Mark Narroway impersonated a police officer three times in a 24 hour period and was sentenced to four years in prison for his crimes.

As she sat there Narroway wove a tale about how he was stationed at Holden Hill but was trying to transfer to a different precinct.

At 10.30pm that night Narroway pulled over a young male driver.

Narroway told the driver he had been speeding and driving dangerously.

He handcuffed the young man, put him in the back of the fake police car and drove him home to the victim’s parent’s house.

Narroway handed the victim over to his parent’s but not before giving him a stern lecture on dangerous driving.

The victim’s parents thanked Narroway for taking care of their son before he left.

The next day Narroway was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer, aggravated deception and false imprisonment.

Narroway was jailed for four years starting when he was arrested on September 7, 2019, with a non-parole period of two years and eight months.