A TEENAGER has been cautioned for wasting police time after falsely claiming his mobile phone had been stolen.

On Saturday March 2, the 18 year-old alleged that he had been robbed. On reading the crime report officers spotted inconsistencies is his account.

When he was questioned, he admitted that the he made a false allegation in an attempt to claim on insurance for a phone that had been lost a week before.

He received a caution for wasting police time.

Detective Sergeant Jo Rajkovic said: “As part of the police investigation, officers completed a substantial amount of work in examining the man’s story.

“During these investigations it became clear that the report was false and, following interviews with the man concerned, he admitted that he had lied to officers. This case took up valuable police time which we can ill-afford to lose’.