999 caller plagued services with fake reports
OAP BROKE COURT BAN – CLAIMING BURGLARY – BUT IS SPARED PRISON
A PENSIONER wasted the time of the emergency services by plaguing them with false calls.
Harry Brown was barred from contacting them for two years following previous convictions for malicious communications.
But he continued to waste the time of emergency staff, claiming to be sick when nothing was wrong with him and even making a false report of a burglary at his Greenhead home.
The 72-year-old pleaded guilty to breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court in Huddersfield.
The two-year order was made in February last year when the OAP was handed a suspended jail term for an identical offence.
Prosecutor Nadine Clough said: “This prohibits him from calling the emergency services – that includes the police, ambulance and NHS 111 – for a reason other than in genuine need of an emergency.”
But on March 10 Brown called for an ambulance to his Trinity Street home twice between 7.30pm and 9.05pm.
Mrs Clough said: “Ambulance staff attended at his home on two occasions and both times it was confirmed that he had no medical problems.
“He then rang the emergency services at 11.40pm and stated that the staff had left equipment behind.
“This was followed by a phone call seven minutes later saying that they had left a radio.”
Shortly after midnight the same evening Brown called police to report a burglary at his home.
Mrs Clough said: “That wasn’t the case as well. Then on April 29 he called the emergency services wanting the officers to be sacked.”
On February 14 last year Brown received a six-week suspended sentence order which he is still subject to.
This was for persistently making malicious communications between December 2017 and January 2018 and when he was originally handed his CBO.
His solicitor Aubrey Sampson explained that he was given alcohol treatment as part of that sentence.
He said: “The offence took place prior to the alcohol treatment requirement being undertaken and he was in a bit of a state because of his drinking.
“He does need help (with) various matters but really enjoys being on probation because he’s getting the support he needs.”
Magistrates were told that Brown is still drinking but insists that he has that under control.
Chairman of the bench John Gledhill told him : “We’ve heard that since the community order you haven’t been making a nuisance of yourself by ringing emergency services, so obviously something is working.
“We are not going to activate your suspended sentence as we feel it would be unjust as there’s a real prospect of rehabilitation.”
Instead magistrates extended Brown’s suspended jail term by eight months, with a nine-month community order.
He still has to pay £85 court costs and £85 victim surcharge.