Man sent rescue texts from office

Jumah paid £350 to the mountain rescue team

A man who sparked a rescue search after pretending to his girlfriend that he was lost in a forest has been ordered to pay mountain rescuers £350.

Saif Jumah, 26, of London, sent Lutha Begum text messages saying he was lost on a forest road in southern Scotland.

She called the police leading to a search for Jumah who was actually in an office in Straiton, near Edinburgh.

He was admonished at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and agreed to pay £350 to the Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team.

The court heard Jumah carried out the prank after he genuinely took a wrong turn on his way up from London last year.

He had been heading to the offices of the supermarket chain he worked for in Straiton when he got lost near Peebles.

The concerned driver sent a number of messages to his girlfriend, Ms Begum, back in London telling her he was lost and it was getting dark.

However, although he found his way and reached Straiton soon after, Jumah decided to continue sending the messages.

'Strange case'

He insisted he was lost in a forest and needed emergency assistance to get out.

It was at this point that his girlfriend called the Metropolitan Police which prompted a major search.

They notified both Lothian and Borders and Dumfries and Galloway Police, who sent out search parties to look for him.

The Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue team were also put on alert before Jumah admitted to his girlfriend he was fine and the search was called off.

Police tracked him down via his mobile phone and charged him for the inconvenience his prank had caused.

"This is certainly a bizarre and strange case," commented Sheriff Kathrine Mackie before admonishing Jumah.