Queenstown police have criticised a Queenstown man, who made a false complaint he was attacked, for wasting time and resources which could have gone towards aiding genuine victims.
On December 7, a 32-year-old Queenstown man reported he was attacked while trying to hitch a ride on State Highway 6, opposite the Frankton nine-hole golf course.
Detective Matthew Jones said in a statement the man was re-interviewed by police on Christmas Eve, at which time he admitted that he had made a false statement.
He received his injuries following an altercation over drugs with people who were known to him.
The man has been charged with making a false statement to a police officer and is due to appear in the Queenstown District Court on January 12.
"This has been a time-wasting exercise for all police officers involved in this inquiry," Det Jones said.
"The considerable time and resources that were used could have been directed to the many genuine victims of crime.'
