September 21, 2017 1.08 pm This story is over 78 months old

Man fined for wasting police time after ‘attempted’ robbery which never happened

A waste of police time.
Photo: Lincolnshire Reporter

A 64-year-old man has been fined for wasting police time after making a false report of an attempted robbery.

The local man, whose name has not been disclosed by Lincolnshire Police, was handed a £90 fixed penalty notice after claiming he had been assaulted by three youths who tried to steal his wallet.

The ‘robbery’ was said to have happened in the Love Lane churchyard on August 6.

However, after a lengthy investigation, the ‘victim’ subsequently admitted that the incident had never happened.

DC Debra Charlesworth, of Spalding CID, said: “Naturally, we take incidents of violence and robbery very seriously and detectives work tirelessly to investigate reports to get the best possible outcome and justice for victims.

“When an individual makes a false report, many police hours are wasted which could have been spent helping genuine victims, and unnecessary fear and alarm is caused to the community, particularly amongst the elderly and vulnerable.

“Whatever a person’s reasons may be for fabricating such an incident, the truth will come out and they will face the consequences of their actions.”