The bizarre confession was revealed in Warrnambool Magistrates on Monday when Daniel Alfred Clark, 51, formerly of Ligar Street, pleaded guilty to making a false report to police.

He had concocted a story in the hope of being extradited to England because he could not afford a fare.

Magistrate Cynthia Toose said there were unusual things going on in Clark's life when he made the false report to police last month.

She said Victoria Police homicide squad and south-west detectives had spent considerable time investigating the matter.

"This is a very serious matter,” Ms Toose said.

“If you had any prior court appearances I would have considered imposing a jail sentence.”

Clark, now of Warrnambool, was convicted and placed on a 12-month community corrections order with the condition he complete 100 hours of community work.

Police told the court that on January 10 at 8.50am Clark called 000 from a Derrinallum phone box and confessed to a murder.

Officers attended at 9am and Clark admitted to killing a man called Andrew Leggett 20 years ago in Norfolk, England.

Clark detailed the circumstances and said he made it look like an overdose.

Detectives took over the investigation and looked into whether Clark was wanted in England through English police and Interpol. 

Clark told them he was born in Australia but he went to England with his mother when he was two years old.

He said he had returned to England towards the end of last year to assist his disabled father. 

But Clark and his partner argued with his father and they had to move out before returning to Australia.

In January this year, Clark's partner decided she wanted to go back to England.

But Clark was in financial difficulties and came up with a plan to be deported or extradited back to England.

His partner detailed Clark's plan to confess to a murder but Clark maintained he was telling the truth and claimed his partner had a mental illness.

In court, Clark told the magistrate he had run out of medication for his mental health condition at the time of the offending.

He apologised for wasting the time of the police.