Stewart was convinced he was talking to a fake.
Carley was charged by police under a law from the 1800s that prohibits wearing a military uniform without permission – and on Monday he became the eighth person in 10 years to be taken to court charged with that offence in the UK.
No similar law exists for the medals he wore – or for those individuals that make up stories without dressing up.
BBC News asked Carley about his motivation – but he didn’t comment.
In his police interview, he said he wanted a sense of “belonging and affirmation”.
Pictures and videos posted online show that Llandudno is not the first place Carley had dressed as a rear admiral.
He has been pictured at other Remembrance services in north Wales since 2018, shortly after it is believed he moved to the area.
In one video, he appears to be giving a speech to the public in his full admiral’s uniform, complete with sword, at a Rorke’s Drift memorial event.
Ironically, he was paying tribute to the military reenactors present.
Andy Gittens first met Carley a few months before his Rorke’s Drift speech, after he started attending rehearsals for his male voice choir.
