POLICE are probing whether a banned driver perverted the course of justice when he told magistrates that four members of his family had died in a car crash.

Officers said they had "reason to believe that the crash hadn't taken place" after information about the case of Sean Wilson, 21, was passed to police by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Police said detectives went to Wilson's house yesterday to speak to him.

They took the details of the crash Wilson says took place and will now make further inquiries.

Last week Burnley magistrates were told Wilson, 21, of Angela Street, Blackburn, had lost his partner, two children and sister in a crash on October 8.

Wilson, who was caught driving while banned in Haslingden, had been facing prison.

But the bench told the defendant there were fully aware of his circumstances and had taken it into account.

Magistrates gave Wilson an 18-month community order with supervision, 200 hours' unpaid work and six points on his licence.

Detective Constable Dave Hindle, of Burnley CID, said: "We have reason to believe that this crash hasn't taken place.

"However upon speaking with Mr Wilson yesterday morning he gave the names, an exact date and where it happened so further inquiries are to be made in relation to this.

"We have launched an investigation into perverting the course of justice."

The court was told that his two daughters Stacey, two, and Lucy, one, his partner Christine, 21, and his sister Stevie, 13, had all died in a crash in the Lake District.

But a spokesman for Cumbria police said: "We have no records of a crash of that nature taking place in the past four years."

Earlier, magistrates had issued a warrant for Wilson after he failed to attend a hearing at court.

He had admitted driving while disqualified, using an uninsured vehicle with no MOT, but said he forgot to go to court because of the tragedy.

Speaking on the doorstep of his home after the court case he said: "I lost my family and didn't even think about going to court.

"I forgot about it because of everything that had happened. I didn't even think about being sent to prison. I have been messed up because of it.

"I lost my two little girls my partner and my sister.

"I can't get over it. I've been having counselling but it's not helping. I can't move on.

"I lived with my partner Christine but I haven't been able to go back to the house. I can't face going in and seeing the pictures and all the stuff in the house."

When asked if an inquest had taken place he said: "It's already happened here (in Blackburn). It wasn't in the paper because we didn't want it in the press."

But Blackburn with Darwen Coroner's office said that they had not had any such deaths reported to them.

A spokesman for the coroner's office in the Lake District said they had no records of the deaths.

Sara Lyle, defending, said Wilson lived with his mother, but she was in hospital.

The solicitor told the court she had grave concerns about the defendant's mental state.

Miss Lyle said the defendant would welcome support from the Probation Service. She said: "If he was given a custodial sentence today that would have a detrimental effect not only upon him, but also his family."

After the case, Miss Lyle said she had not checked the information Wilson provided to her about the crash.