Thursday 12th June 2014 – 2.00pm – Suzie Fothergill.
A man from Staffordshire has been fined after making a hoax 999 call to the ambulance service.
Ambulance crews rushed to the scene of what they thought was a serious life-threatening 999 call at a property in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent only to arrive at the address to find no such incident and the occupant of the property completely unaware that a call had even been made.
The incident was reported to Staffordshire Police and following further investigations police officers were able to track down the caller at an address in Tunstall. The individual was issued with a £90 fixed penalty notice for malicious communications which caused a nuisance and distress.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We are extremely pleased that this individual has received a fine. All 999 calls to the service are received in good faith. Unfortunately this call turned out to be a hoax which wasted valuable resources from an already busy ambulance service.
“While crews were responding to this hoax incident on blue lights, they were not available to respond to real emergencies, involving genuine patients who may have been suffering from life-threatening conditions.
“We hope that the joint working between the ambulance service and the police sends out a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The service is unable to issue out names and an exact location of the incident, however, the incident took place on 18th May 2014. Ambulance crews responded to the hoax call in the Meir area on Stoke on Trent shortly after 12.50pm (Midday).