A fraudster has been sent to prison for making false reports of burglaries – when he was the thief all along.

James Henley, 33, a sales supervisor from St Leonards, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court on Monday to two burglaries and perverting the course of justice.

On July 26 this year police received a report from Henley, then living in a flat in The Marina, St Leonards, claiming to have disturbed a burglar leaving the basement of the house.

The other occupants of the house were woken and discovered items of theirs had been stolen including an Apple Macbook Pro, iPad 2 and platinum rings. However, during the investigation Henley was arrested and interviewed about inconsistencies in his story. The property has not been recovered.

Henley was sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment.

Detective Constable Alex Campbell said: "This sort of false allegation wastes valuable time that we could be spending helping others. This sentence sends a message that if you make false allegations that waste police time and public money you will be prosecuted."