Bosses smelt a rat when "bruising" photographed on Fran Croucher's face was in a different place days later.

The Kent officer - in her late 20s - has been suspended pending a probe.

WPC Croucher, a cop for eight years, was found apparently unconscious on a pavement in Swanley, Kent, by a colleague.

She claimed she had been kicked in the head by two men who jumped from a van she had stopped on January 14 for not having a rear number plate.

She said later she tried to use CS gas on them.

She was taken to hospital and her "injuries" were photographed. Police appealed for help tracing the van used by the men in the "unprovoked and vicious" attack.

Several days later, more photos were taken for evidence.

A source said: "The bruising was in a different place, raising suspicions she'd made up the attack as well as her face.

"The investigation is focusing on whether she may have had psychological problems or simply planned to make a compensation claim over her injuries."

Kent Police confirmed an officer had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in office and bailed.