Man, 48, jailed over costly murder hoax
AMAN sparked a major police response involving armed police and the launch of police helicopters which cost the force thousands of pounds after falsely claiming a murder was taking place.
An innocent man was arrested and a woman needed treatment for shock after police broke down the doors of a property at an address given at random to emergency services by Baruch Ben-David on January 30 this year.
The 48-year-old was arrested later the same night at Swansea University’s Singleton campus, having falsely told security guards he had been victim of a sexual assault.
Prosecuting, Hannah George told Swansea Crown Court that BenDavid had approached a worker at the Texaco garage in West Cross shortly before 3am, and told him that a murder was under way.
She said: “He said his friend had killed his partner by strangling her, and his friend had locked himself in a room and was going to kill himself.
“The worker contacted emergency services and the defendant could be heard in the background and provided an address, but in fact that address was not correct and was completely false.
“But, acting on the information, a police response was authorised and armed officers forced entry to the address akin to the address the defendant had provided.
“Officers made an arrest on suspicion of murder and one woman was treated at the scene for shock.”
Ms George said the defendant was located at the university campus after security staff who had been approached by Ben-David called emergency services.
She added: “He had told security staff he had been dragged onto the beach and woke up bleeding from the rectum and he believed he had been sexually assaulted.”
When police arrived, Ben-David provided a false name, and appeared in an “intoxicated and distressed state”, but admitted the claim of sexual assault had not been true.
However, officers recognised him from the description of the man who had made the emergency phone call, and Ben-David admitted it had been he.
Mitigating, Ashanti-Jade Walton said: “There was no justification for his actions. He states that alcohol was the driving force behind the offences, and fully accepts the gravity of the offences and is remorseful. He made full admissions in interview. The [presentence and psychiatric] reports reveal his life has been traumatic, culminating in turning to drink. He tells me the offences were committed while he was intoxicated.”
The court was told the cost of the police response had been £6,000, including £3,400 for the dispatch of two helicopters, £1,500 for the damage to two doors broken down by police, and response of ambulances on four occasions.
Ben-David, formerly of North Hill Road in Mount Pleasant, but now of Kilburn in London, pleaded guilty to causing wasteful employment of police resources, and also to other charges, including four thefts from shops, failing to surrender to bail, criminal damage and commissioning offences while subject to a conditional discharge.
The thefts included theft from an Aldi store in Cardiff, in January 2017, theft of a suitcase, backpack, radio and Echo Dot, worth £342 from John Lewis in Cardiff city centre in January, and a week later a Sony camera, skincare set, fragrance set and perfume worth £2,980 from the same store; and stealing a camera, fragrances and vitamin pills worth £479 from Boots in Swansea.
He also admitted breaking five windows at the City Temple in Dyfatty Street on the day before Christmas Eve last year. Sentencing, Recorder Christopher Clee said: “It is difficult to imagine a more serious example of this type of case. How much you say is true is almost impossible to fathom.”
Ben-David was jailed for a total of 28 weeks, including 12 weeks for wasteful employment of police resources.