How 'Fake Admiral' was caught - suspicous sword, odd comment and rare Royal Navy medal - The Mirror

Former private school teacher Jonathan Carley, 65, was outed after he began wearing a fake high-ranking Royal Navy uniform featuring rare and prestigious medals at parades

Former history teacher Jonathan Carley was fined £500 on Monday after admitting to wearing a uniform or dress bearing the mark of His Majesty's Forces without permission after veterans became suspicious of his attire at parades.

Uniformed officers arrived at his home in search of a fake Royal Navy officer, finding a pristine military uniform, medals and ceremonial sword - a weapon that had first sparked suspicions. The 65-year-old was spotted laying wreaths and saluting the war memorial at the ceremony in Llandundo last November.

From his outfit, onlookers may have presumed he was high ranking in the Royal Navy, with his uniform suggesting he was the third highest rank. Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry became suspicious of Carley, noting his sword and rare Distinguished Service Order medal.

"It's one down from the Victoria Cross," Parry told the BBC. "You're eight ranks up and two down from the head of the navy."

The DSO medal is an "easy spot" for those who know it, thanks to it being such an exceptional reward that is hard to achieve. Only a small percentage of those who join the navy reach rear admiral.

Parry clocked the award thanks to his experience in the Royal Navy, stepping down in 2008 from his role. Carley had been attending events wearing this uniform for years, but it became small-talk that he may have been hiding a secret about where the medals really came from.

The former private school teacher's act began to unravel in 2024 at a Remembrance Day parade in Llandudno. He carried the sword, which stuck out to photographer Tony Mottram who had never seen it before.

Dubbed a "loner", he walked alone, making people more suspicious as no one spoke to him and he kept out of pictures. Photographer Mottram attempted to get a picture but was unable to.

But at the 2025 Remembrance Sunday service, Carley, from Harlech, Gwynedd, resurfaced in his uniform, opting to leave the sword at home. Mottram, who was in the Territorial Army and worked for the Royal Air Force, noticed some strange details on the outfit Carley was wearing.

"The hemming wasn't right, the length wasn't right," he told the BBC. "You either go on parade right or you don't go at all." Carley wore an array of medals on his chest that had been bought online, including the DSO that is awarded for highly successful command and leadership during active operations. Few people have been awarded the honour since 1979.

After suspicions arose, officers visited his home where they uncovered the truth. He was charged by police under a law from the 1800s that prohibits wearing a military uniform without permission, and on Monday he became the eight person in 10 years to be taken to court charged with that offence in the UK.

In his police interview, he said he wanted a sense of "belonging and affirmation". After teaching, Carley is understood to have worked at Christ Church College, University of Oxford, as a rowing coach for several years.

One former student said he "would never have believed" that Carley would do something like that. On Monday, he was charged £500 for wearing the uniform.