A man from Oulton has been jailed for lying to police that a man robbed him of £100.

55-year-old Chris Gowing was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court for perverting the course of justice on Monday.

The court heard that Gowing, of Sekynden Close, had falsely reported to the police in February 2022 that a man who was known to him had approached him in the street and asked if he had any money.

He said the man then punched him in the face and forced him to hand over £100 in cash. He said he also saw an object ‘glinting’ from the man’s back pocket which he believed to be a knife.

The man was arrested and spent a period of some two and a half weeks in custody.

Several false statements were given to the police, but CCTV footage failed to corroborate Gowing’s account. He then admitted that he had made up the allegation.

Speaking from the dock, Gowing said that the man had been “wicked” towards him and bullied him.

Presiding Judge David Wilson said that he recognised Gowing’s vulnerabilities. However, he said that it was appropriate to punish allegations which resulted in others wrongly serving custody with time in prison.

He handed Gowing a sentence of 28 months, of which he will serve half.