Fake burglary claim was to settle debts
A man who falsely told police his home had been burgled in an attempt to settle debts has ended up with more to pay, after landing himself with a fine.
He claimed electrical items had been stolen from his Whitmore Reans property on New Hampton Road East on New Year's Day.
But alarm bells started ringing for Det Con Chris Carter and stolen goods officer PC Ryan Hoban after inconsistencies were found in the man's report.
Inquiries with local second-hand electrical stores found the man had sold the alleged stolen property in November to clear large debts with a rent-to-own retailer.
He was issued with a fixed-penalty notice for £90 to add to his already considerable debts. Det Con Chris Carter, from Wolverhampton CID Burglary Team, said: "We take positive action against anybody found to have made a false report to police.
"While we are dealing with such false reports our resources are deflected away from true victims of crime."
Pc Ryan Hoban added: "We work very closely with our second-hand electrical stores in Wolverhampton and have a code of practice agreed with them, which means both the buyer and the retailer have peace of mind that the items are being bought and sold legitimately."
