Woman who made 150 emergency calls bailed
A WOMAN who made over 150 calls to emergency services in 2017 and has continued to make calls this year has appeared in court.
Philomena Curran (39) of Glenabbey Crescent, Londonderry was charged with breaching bail by pulling the emergency cord in her flat, claiming she was going to kill herself, on July 16.
A police officer told Londonderry Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Omagh, that officers found it to be “a non-genuine report” and Curran had breached her bail by contacting services when it was not an emergency.
The court was told that while police had sympathy for Curran, her reports “take police off the streets at a time when they are badly needed on the streets”. Bail was opposed.
Defence solicitor Michael Magee said his client had been given bail by the High Court. He said she had an important appointment this week.
District Judge Barney McElholm said that incidents like this would not happen if Curran could live with other people, rather than on her own.
He said the system was obviously not working but there is “no health service or government to change it”.
The judge said that the police are not trained for this situation and “someone else should be dealing with this kind of thing.”
He said he would give Curran another chance and released her on bail to reappear on July 30.