LONDON - A man, who was weary of his wife’s nagging, made up a story that he had been kidnapped at knifepoint as he dared not tell her he had been to the bookies.

Peter Woodward, 57, told a court that in order to get away from his wife, he made up the story about being abducted by three armed men, and even reported it to the police at Crosby, Liverpool.

Prosecutor Sandra Arden told South Ribble Magistrates Court that on the morning of April 2, Woodward, of Leyland, Lancashire, had gone for a drive and then to the bookmaker’s, where he won some money.

On his return, to explain where he had been, the part-time cleaner made up a story that three men had carjacked him and made him drive 25 miles to Liverpool before robbing him of 90 pounds.

“A major investigation was commenced and the victim re-driven along the route,” the Daily Express quoted Arden as saying.

“In the end, he just wanted to go for a ride without answering to his wife.

“He went for a drive to Liverpool and thought up the kidnapping story to account for his movements,” she said.

But following a thorough police investigation, he admitted that he had in fact visited a bookmaker’s and had a large amount of cash on him.

He was arrested on May 6, and admitted falsely reporting an offence to police.

On July 3, Woodward, who was supported by his humiliated but loyal wife Janet, was ordered to pay 1,000 pounds compensation for the 185 man-hours the police put in investigating his claims at a cost of more than 5,000 pounds.

“It was due to the extensive investigation that Mr Woodward’s lies were uncovered,” Detective Sergeant John Cass, of South Ribble CID, said.

“All allegations made to the police have to be fully investigated, but it is a sad fact that some people do fabricate being victims of crime.

“Mr Woodward made a very serious allegation to the police, that he had been kidnapped, which will always be investigated extremely thoroughly.

“Mr Woodward was prosecuted due to the amount of time invested in this investigation, which could have been put to better use investigating real crime,” he added. (ANI)