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Richmond man faces jail over 999 hoaxes and Darlington breach
Andrew James Peacock, 46, made 14 telephone calls to the emergency services in May last year and seven in June, said Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting at York Magistrates’ Court.
But on no occasion was he reporting a genuine emergency, and therefore he was breaking a court order banning him from contacting the emergency services unless in a genuine emergency.
Ms Ibbotson said Peacock was banned from a Lidl supermarket in Richmond, but was seen by staff inside it “flying down an aisle in a mobility scooter” on May 24 last year.
He was abusive to a staff member when he was asked to leave.
Peacock, 46, of Alexandra Way, Richmond, was before the court for sentence for six breaches of a criminal behaviour order (CBO) and using threatening behaviour in a Lidl supermarket. He pleaded guilty to all offences after initially denying some. He has previous convictions for breaching the CBO.
At the time of all the offences, he was subject to a 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years for other offences including persistent use of public communication for nuisance calls and breaching the CBO.
Magistrates, after consulting national sentencing guidelines, decided that he should receive a sentence greater than their maximum sentence of 12 months and committed him to York Crown Court for sentence. They remanded him in custody.
Peacock’s solicitor Erica Topham tried to persuade them to sentence him themselves, saying he had not caused really serious harm, but magistrates said his offences were persistent and he posed a serious risk of criminal or anti-social behaviour.
Ms Ibbotson said during the course of the 999 calls, which Peacock made to the police and to the ambulance service, he sounded drunk, said he was going to a pub to start a fire, said he was going to cause violence and became abusive.
On November 3, police were called to a surgery in Catterick Garrison where Peacock was threatening to stab himself unless he was seen by a doctor. He was aggressive and didn’t have a medical need to be there. He was drunk and thereby breached the CBO which had a condition that he not be drunk in public.
On Christmas Eve, he again breached the order, this time by his conduct in Darlington town centre, and twice he breached the order by having a container of alcohol open in public.