A teenager was so embarrassed when he smashed his head in a canal jump stunt gone wrong he told police he’d been stabbed in the chin and thrown in the water by thugs.
The red-faced youth has now been fined £80 for wasting police time after footage was discovered of the jump which shows him coming a cropper.
The 19-year-old was so shame-faced about what happened he made up the story and called West Midlands Police to avoid telling his family the truth about his failed stunt.
Detectives launched an investigation on May 17 after the ‘victim’ called to say he had been approached by three men in hooded tops on a canal towpath in Coseley, Dudley.
He told officers that they had stabbed him in the chin with a 10 inch knife and thrown him into the canal before running away.
It was thought the offenders could have been distant relatives, who had allegedly sent threatening text messages to the 19-year-old’s 25-year-old stepfather.
As part of the investigation, police carried out a high-tech forensic examination on his stepfather’s phone and were shocked by what they found.
Detective Sergeant Jim Munro, from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, said: 'We found a video on the phone which showed our supposed ‘victim’ attempting to jump across the canal.
'As he leaps into the air, he misjudges the width of the water and falls short of the towpath, instead crashing down into the water, hitting his chin on concrete.
'That’s when we knew he’d actually made the whole thing up and that even his step-father was in on the conspiracy.
'Both were arrested for perverting the course of justice and immediately admitted that it was all fabrication.
'They were both fined but they were lucky because wasting police time carries a maximum sentence of six months imprisonment.'
West Midlands Police have released the footage of the failed canal jump to raise awareness of false reporting and the penalties of such actions.
Detective Sergeant Munro added: 'This also sends out an important message about safety on the canal network.'
The £80 canal jump
The £80 canal jump
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: The £80 canal jump
Hello Dudley.It was thought the offenders could have been distant relatives, who had allegedly sent threatening text messages to the 19-year-old’s 25-year-old stepfather.
Re: The £80 canal jump
Bloody Yam Yams! 
Why is it that when Miley Cyrus gets naked and licks a hammer it's 'art' and 'edgy' but when I do it I'm 'drunk' and 'banned from the hardware store'?
Re: The £80 canal jump
That's what caught my eye, too!Daisy wrote:Hello Dudley.It was thought the offenders could have been distant relatives, who had allegedly sent threatening text messages to the 19-year-old’s 25-year-old stepfather.
But then I know a guy with a daughter younger than his first two grandchildren...