A man who fled from the scene of an accident and then told police his car had been stolen was arrested after his DNA was found on the driver's airbag, a court has heard.

IPSWICH: A man who fled from the scene of an accident and then told police his car had been stolen was arrested after his DNA was found on the driver's airbag, a court has heard.

Laine Pond had been driving his aunt's Peugeot 206 in Grimwade Street, Ipswich, in the early hours of the morning of July 28 when he hit the kerb and damaged one of the wheels, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The car was partially blocking the road and Pond was seen by witnesses to leave the vehicle and run off, said Godfried Duah, prosecuting.

Pond had later contacted the police and claimed that his home had been broken into and thieves had taken his keys and stolen his car.

Mr Duah said the airbag in the car had been deployed during the accident and when police sent it off for forensic analysis Pond's DNA was found on it.

After his arrest Pond said he was a named driver on his aunt's insurance policy and he hadn't wanted her to know he had damaged her car.

Pond, 27, of Duke Street, Ipswich, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice and was given a three month jail term suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work in the community and pay �150 prosecution costs.

Sentencing Pond Judge Peter Fenn said he had been “extremely foolish”.

He said: “I don't think you were trying to evade prosecution for any driving offences. You just panicked and were worried how you were going to explain to your aunt how you had caused this damage.”

He said Pond had put the police and the forensic science laboratory to considerable unnecessary extra work.

Neil Saunders for Pond said he had been frightened of disappointing his aunt and had made up a “silly story”.