A teenager picked up a telephone call from the police - on a mobile phone her boyfriend had reported stolen three days earlier.
On December 27, a 17-year-old boy from New Addington alleged that his 16-year-old girlfriend had been robbed of her £150 mobile in Bromley at around 5.30pm.
But after scouring CCTV footage police could not find any evidence of a crime.
And a call by officers to the missing mobile confirmed the whole incident had been made up when the ‘victim’ answered the phone.
Bromley police’s Detective Sergeant Gary Gornell said: "I am disgusted at the waste of valuable time.
“The police are aware that a dishonest minority of people are intent on making false reports.”
The 17-year-old was handed a £80 fixed penalty notice for making a false report.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel