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Asbo menace's one-hour hoax
A RECOVERING alcoholic kept an emergency call worker on the telephone for an hour when he made a false 999 call.
Jonathan Armstrong's time-wasting saw police officers break down his door and an ambulance speed to his home.
An emergency operator was kept on the phone for an hour to make sure he was alright, a court heard.
But police and paramedics just found Armstrong – who is banned from making nuisance calls to the emergency services under the terms of a two-year anti-social behaviour order – slumped in a drunken state on the floor.
He said he was fine and did not know why he had phoned for help.
Prosecuting, Nicci Horton told Peterlee Magistrates' Court: "The call was made in breach of an Asbo. It resulted in both the police and paramedics attending the address when they didn't need to do so, taking them away from other potential emergencies."
The court heard that Armstrong, 37, made a 999 call at 3pm saying he was ill, but refused to have an ambulance.
"He was asking where he could stab himself and he sounded drunk at the time," said Ms Horton.
Justices heard a police officer was sent to Armstrong's home, in Little Eden, Peterlee, but could not get in.
The police officer broke down the door to the property as he was concerned that Armstrong was in danger.
"He found the defendant inside and asked him whether he was okay and received a murmured drunken response," said Ms Horton.
"He was asked why he called the police and said he didn't know."
Armstrong admitted breaching an Asbo, which prevented him from making 999 calls unless in genuine need of help, on September 3 last year.
Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said Armstrong had been struggling with depression for some time, but since the offence had received hospital treatment and he would not be drinking any more.
He added: "This was a real cry for help. It was really a call that should have been made to the Samaritans."
He said it was not an abusive call, but Armstrong "simply wanted someone to speak to".
Chairman of the magistrates' bench, Susan Pringle, sentenced Armstrong to a 12-month community order and told him to pay 85 costs.
She told him: "You do understand how serious this matter is, calling 999.
"You are obviously causing a nuisance to staff and services that need to be called out for real emergencies."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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