South Wales Police has been successful in securing an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) against a Cardiff man who made more than 90 calls to 999 in four hours.
John Hamlet has been made a subject of a 3 year ASBO by Cardiff Magistrates Court to protect the members of the emergency services from further anti-social acts.
The ASBO prohibits the 44-year-old from verbally abusing or intimidating any person including police officers in Cardiff and must not contact the police or emergency services using the 999 service unless in a genuine emergency.
The ASBO does not prevent Hamlet from calling the emergency services where there is a genuine emergency situation.
Police took the decision to apply for the ASBO after he made 95 calls to 999 from his home in Fairwater. Between 9.30pm on Monday, March 3 into the early hours of the following day he falsely reported burglaries and assaults resulting in the wasted allocation of numerous police resources including firearms officers and dog handlers.
Fairwater officer Pc Bernie Bond said: “Hamlet was verbally abusive and swore at the call takers during many of the calls.
“He was warned to stop making the false calls several times but he continued resulting in his arrested.”
Hamlet appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 14 when he was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment for making malicious calls and the misuse of the 999 system.
Pc Bond added: “The hoax calls made by John Hamlet to the 999 number caused significant disruption, cost and wasted time.
“His actions could have impacted upon our ability to assist other members of the public who may have genuinely needed assistance at that time.
“We hope that the ASBO serves as a warning to others that we will use the full force of the law to protect the members of the emergency services and the public where persons are guilty of wasting emergency services time and subjecting emergency services personnel to abuse and harassment in this manner.”
A breach of an ASBO is an arrestable offence for which the recipient, if found guilty of, may be fined, sentenced to up to 5 years imprisonment or both.
