A MAN has become the first in the borough to be given an £80 fine after making a false robbery claim.

One week after local police vowed to use new powers to punish bogus crime victims, police chiefs have confirmed a 24-year-old man from Radcliffe has been issued with a fixed-penalty fine after claiming he was robbed in Bury town centre.

The alleged victim, who has not been named by police, claimed that he had been approached by an unknown male who asked him for the time before forcing him into a back alley on Friday night.

He then said that three other men joined in the attack and that all four had forced him to the ground, searched his pockets and stolen cash and an expensive cap.

Superintendent Peter Scofield, deputy commander of Bury police, said: "The crime was reported to a uniformed officer who conducted a thorough initial investigation, obtained his account, and seized a video tape recorded by CCTV cameras.

"As a result, specialists officers from our robbery unit re-interviewed the so-called crime victim and arrested him on Wednesday. It was then that he admitted he had not been robbed."

Supt Scofield continued: "The offender was issued with an £80 penalty notice for wasting police time by making a false report.

"This incident reinforces our determination to crack down on those who divert our attention from genuine victims of crime."