A HALBEATH motorist, who crashed his car near Dundee, made up a false story to police about it having been stolen from outside his home.

The deception soon came to light when officers investigated the incident and as a result Mostafizur Rahman appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Rahman, a 40-year-old waiter of Fod Street, admitted that on April 14 he falsely told police officers that his car had been stolen when the truth was he been involved in a road accident on the B974 Clattern Brig to Fettercairn Road, near Dundee and he caused the police to devote their time and services to false claims at public expense.

He also admitted he failed to give information to police about the driver involved in an incident on the B974.

Depute fiscal Jennifer Graham said at 8.33am police received a call from a male saying a vehicle had gone off a road into an embankment in Tayside.

At 8.38am Rahman called the police to say his car had been stolen from outside his home.

At 10.45am officers attended his house.

Shortly afterwards police were told by the mother of Rahman’s ex-partner that the car had not been at the house the night before as Rahman had claimed.

He told the police he did not know who was driving his car when it was involved in the accident.

Rahman’s ex-partner showed officers a text she had received from him saying: “Phone your mum and say if the police call don’t tell them I’m working in Aberdeen.”

Defence solicitor Sarah Meehan said: “He can only explain his actions as that he panicked having had the collision. He appreciates it was extremely foolish.”

She said her client was a waiter in Kinross but was about to start a job in Aberdeen.

Sheriff Derek Reekie was unimpressed by what he heard.

“He’s gone to quite elaborate lengths to deceive and conceal this incident," he said. "I’m concerned about this whole story. I have an uneasy feeling about all of this.

“The police seem to have spent the best part of the morning if not longer trying to get to the bottom of this.”

He told Rahman: “You persisted in this over a period of time.”

The sheriff called for reports and deferred sentence until June 6.