A man who stole a syndicate’s lottery winnings and then claimed he had been robbed at knifepoint has been sent to prison.

Steven Drew, 33, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment yesterday (FRI) at Chichester Crown Court for perverting the course of justice and theft.

Drew, from Nottingham, ran the work lottery syndicate while he was employed by John Wiley and Sons in Bognor.

Eight innocent people were arrested and held in custody after he made the false report.

The holidaymakers were later released with no further action.

DC Alex Campbell, of Sussex Police, said: “We hope this will act as a deterrent to others who feel they can report false crimes in order to hide their own criminal activity and waste the time of the police and the criminal justice system.”