A Bradford police authority member has pledged to raise with West Yorkshire Chief Constable, Sir Norman Bettison, the case of a prisoner whom, a Court heard, was offered “inducements” by police to confess to crimes.

Burglar Clifford Westfall, 25, of Crag Road, Windhill, Shipley, had admitted stealing property valued at £83,000 in more than 80 burglaries, mainly at schools and shops.

But Westfall’s barrister, Stephen Wood, told Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday that Westfall claimed the admissions were obtained as a result of inducements offered by police officers.

They included offers of a meal at KFC, the chance to shower and change his clothes at home and being permitted to use networking website Facebook to contact friends.

The offences were to be taken into consideration in sentencing but were not proceeded with after Westfall changed his mind about the admissions. He was jailed for four months for a single charge of commercial burglary.

The West Yorkshire force has declined to make an official comment, but the Crown Prosecution Service’s barrister told the court that Westfall’s claims were a “complete fabrication.”

Yesterday, Councillor Glen Miller, a Conservative Bradford member of West Yorkshire Police Authority, said it would be “abhorrent” if inducements were offered by police for defendants to confess to crimes, but said he was not aware of any such incidents.

He said: “Police officers ask defendants during interviews if there are any other crimes they are responsible for, which is quite proper.

“I am not aware of this happening but I am more than happy to raise the issue with the Chief Constable.

“If there are people out there saying that they have been offered inducements by police officers, we need to look into it as a police authority.”

Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies said he had general concerns about the system of offences being Taken Into Consideration (TIC), but asked whether the word of a convicted burglar or the police should be taken.

He said there could be questions to be asked about the case and, more generally, about what pressure is being brought to bear on police to get conviction figures up.

“If there is something untoward I would raise it with the Home Secretary, whether that applies in this case is a different matter.”

West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Michael Downes said: “I don’t believe police officers offer inducements to admit offences. Moreover I find it very difficult to believe that anybody would admit to more than 90 serious crimes to obtain a fast food takeaway meal and a shower.

“I have been in the police service for 22 years and defendants have always been able to admit to other offences and ask for them to be taken into consideration. The current “write-off” system has much more integrity than the one that was used 20 years ago.”