Phone menace, 90, is still at it

Reporter NINE, nine, nine menace Lena Taylor has walked free from court for her latest emergency call mayhem.

The 90-year-old was convicted of making nuisance calls to the service in July, when she received a two-year conditional discharge.

But she was back in the dock last month and admitted making 420 calls to the 999 service between July 14 and August 30.

And the pensioner, of Churchill Street, Wallsend, was sentenced at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty to a third malicious communications offence on September 7.

The court heard the latest offence involved nine phone calls to 999.

The court heard between July 14 and August 30, Taylor had put a great strain on resources and had an ambulance sent to her house on four occasions. Taylor was taken to hospital once but the other three times, she did not need treatment.

During one call on July 22, she said: “I’ve done my dinner, I need someone to take me to bingo to keep me calm. Stop f****** messing around with me. I’m not going to sit in this house all day.”

On July 28 she demanded an ambulance and said: “I want them here now. Bring me a cup of tea and a pasty. Hurry up I’m starving.”

And in another she said “My pasty’s f****** fell on the floor you stupid c***s, get the ambulance out now.”

But despite her repeated appearances before the court, it was revealed Taylor has continued to make abusive phone calls in the last few days.

The court heard Taylor has made 79 calls to the emergency services in the last three days.

Mark Harrison, defending, said: “This is a lady who has reached her 90th birthday without a conviction or caution against her name.

“Then in the course of this calender year she has found herself in a situation where her liberty could be at risk.

“It’s a huge sadness that Mrs Taylor has found herself again appearing before the criminal courts.

“She has almost this compulsion to ring the emergency services.

“What she then says on the telephone to the emergency services is inexcusible.

“She doesn’t wake up in the morning wondering who to abuse next.

“The plan is to occupy her time, the plan is to alleviate her loneliness, the plan is to put her in touch with others who can provide help and support.”

Magistrates handed Taylor a 12 month community order and ordered her to pay £85 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

Bench chairman, Wyn Clayton said: “There are people all over the area waiting for ambulance for an emergency and whilst the crews are tied up coming out when it is not an emergency, those people can become victims.” Lena Taylor leaves North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court