Forest Gate man fined £400 for wasting police time over ‘missing’ car

A man involved in a car accident was fined £400 for wasting police time after he claimed burglars had stolen his car while it was being held in storage.

Police were called to reports of a burglary at a property in Stafford Road, Forest Gate, at 3pm on April 23 where the 37-year-old man told officers his black Mercedes convertible had been stolen along with his car keys from outside his home.

He also said his two mobile phones - a Blackberry and a Nokia - had been taken.

Detectives investigated and found that the man’s story did not add up. Then, they discovered that the man’s vehicle had been involved in a road accident several hours prior to the burglary being reported.

The alleged victim was questioned by detectives from the Burglary Squad at Stratford police station where they revealed the inconsistencies in the man’s case.

He then admitted to the officers that he had lied about the burglary and police issued the man with a fixed penalty fine of £400 for wasting police time.

A police spokesman said reports of this nature are often made to get cash from insurance claims among other motives.