A one-time Macclesfield footballer took out an insurance policy minutes after crashing his BMW into three parked cars then lied about when the accident happened.

Pa Omar Mbowe, 25, bought a one-hour insurance policy for his BMW 116i Sport after a four-car smash saw him plough into the back of a parked car which bounced into the next car and then into another vehicle.

Mr Mbowe took out the policy between 6.20am and 7.20am.

He played a brief spell for Macclesfield Town from December 2015 to January 2016.

He made one appearance in a 4-0 victory in the FA Trophy against Ashton United.

He would later play three times for The Silkmen's rivals Congleton Town FC.

The defender would play in two losses and one win for The Bears.

After his spell for the two Cheshire East clubs, he would play professionally for Finnish side Sporting Kristina in Kristinestad in 2019.

In his insurance report, he claimed the crash happened after he tried to avoid a pothole while driving through the Hulme area of Manchester at 6:35am - just 15 minutes after the policy started.

But the next day, the insurance company was contacted by another insurer claiming Mbowe had been involved in an accident with one of their policyholders after falling asleep at the wheel at 7am.

These discrepancies and the fact Mbowe's policy had been taken out minutes before the accident raised alarm bells for the insurer, who referred the case to the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).

They discovered a vehicle crash report had also been made to Greater Manchester Police at 6.17am on April 29, 2018 - proving Mbowe fiddled the timings so it looked like he was insured at the time, according to police.

But the footballer showed remorse for his actions after admitting the offence during an interview with detectives and said he already gave money to the owners of the damaged vehicles, police said.

Mbowe was handed a conditional caution under the agreement he would cover the costs of repairing two of the cars and any losses to the insurer of the third, but he failed to deliver, City of London Police said.

He was tracked down and arrested after the case escalated to court because he had failed to meet the deadline and did not show up for his hearing.

Abdelkader Rezkallah, police staff investigator at City of London Police, said today: "The fact that Mbowe managed to take out a one-hour policy after the accident shows just how quick and easy it is to be covered before heading out on the road.

"There is no excuse for driving uninsured.

"Despite admitting to the offences when questioned, Mbowe failed to comply with the conditions of his caution.

"He then wasted even more of our time by failing to turn up to his court hearing, resulting in the court having to issue a warrant for his arrest.

"Mbowe has finally faced the consequences of his actions, and will be trading in his team jersey for a high-vis vest over the next year."

At Manchester Magistrates Court, Mbowe of Brentwood Street, Manchester, was sentenced for one count of fraud by false representation.

He was given a 12-month community order to do 60 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £3,695 in compensation to the owners of the parked cars.

Mbowe's local former Macclesfield employers - Macclesfield Town FC - no longer exist.