By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A LYNDHURST man struggled to explain to a Dandenong magistrate on Monday why he falsely reported an armed robbery to police.
Lee James Williams, 36, pleaded guilty to filing the allegation to Cranbourne police on 23 February, which led to a Dandenong Embona armed robbery taskforce investigation and arrest of a suspect identified by the accused.
Police applied for restitution costs of $1575 costs for the investigation including reviewing CCTV footage from the Jim Dandy Hotel and interviewing Williams and the ‘suspect’.
Williams told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court that his “lie” was that he’d been approached by three “blokes” outside the pub on his way home.
He claimed one of them had asked for a “smoke” and then they robbed him.
Under questioning from magistrate Jack Vandersteen, Williams said he had identified but not named the ‘offender’ – who he knew through a “mate”.
“The obvious question is why did you do it?” Mr Vandersteen said.
“I was trying to cover for my mate,” Williams replied – though he didn’t know why his “mate” needed to be protected.
He said he felt pressure from a police officer to make a formal complaint after ringing the station with his story.
“I had no intention of going to the police… I didn’t want anything to happen,” he said.
“There wasn’t anybody that beat me up so (I thought) they wouldn’t find anyone responsible. They’d say we can’t identify a person.”
Mr Vandersteen said the “unusual” case had a “feeling of revenge” because Williams had identified a culprit.
He noted Williams had no prior convictions but his offence was “very serious” – diverting police resources and leading to an innocent man’s loss of liberty.
“Police did act on good faith. It’s fortunate that the police at some stage were able to ascertain what was said was untrue.”
He ordered Williams undergo an assessment for a community corrections order, and adjourned the case until 8 September.
