A SOLDIER from Melksham was lucky to escape being discharged from the Army after being convicted of carrying out a bungled insurance scam.

Barry Merryweather, 23, of Hurricane Road, set alight his Vauxhall Corsa on Salisbury Plain to claim £4,000 insurance, but was forced to re-think his excuses when he realised he left his keys inside.

He told police two youths had mugged him outside his house, stealing his keys and driving off in the car. The lie came to light when soldiers on exercise found the burnt-out wreck half an hour before the car was alleged to have been stolen.

Merryweather, who admitted a charge of obtaining property by deception, escaped a community penalty. A penalty above a fine would have ended his career because of a previous unrelated conviction.

Prosecutor Michelle Hewitt said continual problems with the car led Merryweather to dream up the insurance scam.

He walked for three hours to Westbury before catching a taxi to Melksham after torching the car in the early hours of July 21 at Market Lavington.

He reported the mugging and the car theft to police when he got home at 7am, but the car had already been found at 6.30am.

Mrs Hewitt said: "He drove the car to Market Lavington and burnt it out with petrol and it was only while it was burning he realised he left the car keys in the vehicle, which is why he came up with the story that he had been robbed."

Anne Ellery, defending, said: "You have probably gathered by the ridiculous turn of events it was not a well thought-out idea."

Merryweather was fined £350 and ordered to pay costs of £118.