Man Sentenced for Hoax 999 Calls

18 March 2011, 16:44 | Updated: 18 March 2011, 16:46

A Luton man received a suspended 12 week jail sentence for persistently calling the police's 999 number more than 100 times.

Mohammed Bashir, aged 60, of Selbourne Road, had pleaded not guilty to four charges under the Telecommunications Act 2003, but he was found guilty by Luton Magistrates.

The calls happened during four particular dates in 2008, when Bashir called the police emergency lines a total of over 100 times.

Each time he got through to the control staff in Beds Police HQ at Kempston he was incoherent  demanding help with his application for British citizenship, shouting, laughing wildly or swearing.

He had been originally due to stand trial in 2008, but absconded while on bail finally being dealt with after re-appearing in Luton at the end of last year. Bashir has four previous convictions for similar offences.