Sunderland man jailed after making malicious phone call to police

Lee Fairley is beginning nearly two months in prison after magistrates decided the offence was “aggravated by the defendant’s record of previous offending”.

Fairley, 31, of Mowbray Close, Ashbrooke, Sunderland, admitted making a threatening call to the Northumbria Police control room on October 18 when he appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court just before Christmas.

The force have greeted his sentence by reminding the public that “this type of unhelpful behaviour can have an inevitable impact on how quickly other emergency calls are answered”.

Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, from Northumbria Police’s communications department, said: “Our call handlers answer hundreds of calls every day and want to be able to deliver an outstanding service to everyone who gets in touch.

“While the overwhelming majority of calls we receive are genuine and made in good faith, there are some occasions when individuals abuse the 999 and 101 numbers and make nuisance calls.

“The last thing we want is for people to have to wait on the phone to speak to one of our call handlers.

"But this type of unhelpful behaviour can have an inevitable impact on how quickly other emergency calls are answered.

“We would always ask the public to work with us so that we can ensure those unfortunate enough to be involved in serious incidents can receive police assistance as quickly as possible.”

Fairley was locked up for six weeks for breaching the Malicious Communications Act by making the call and ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge.

He also received an additional week behind bars after admitting failing to comply with supervision requirements since October 15 following his release from a previous period of imprisonment.

The court that Fairley had neglected to obtain permission to stay at overnight at an unapproved address and to keep in touch with his supervisor as instructed.

He was also banned from driving for 22 months after admitting drink driving on December 19 in a Renault Clio on the A19 Hylton Bridge, in Sunderland, and to driving without a valid licence or insurance.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.