An Armagh man who made repeated phone calls to 999 emergency services claiming he was suicidal has been sentenced to seven months in prison.
Leroy Brady, of Drumbreda Avenue, appeared for sentencing at Newry Magistrates Court on Wednesday via videolink from Maghaberry Prison.
The 46-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety by charges of persistent, improper use of a communications network on March 30 this year.
He had also pleaded guilty to wasting police time by making false reports about his own safety to the NI Ambulance Service on March 29 this year.
The prosecution said the defendant contacted the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS) a number of times on the dates in question saying he was suicidal and was going to kill himself.
She said the NIAS policy for Brady was to request police assistance at every call.
Police attended three of these calls and on each occasion was told by the defendant he was not suicidal, he was drunk and had been stupid and would not travel to hospital.
She said the defendant had engaged in this type of behaviour on a number of previous occasions and had been signposted to relevant support but “continues to abuse the 999 system claiming he is suicidal and then stating when police and ambulance arrive that he is not”.
District Judge Eamon King asked the defendant if he wished to say anything to which he replied, ‘No, Your Worship’.
Jude King noted Brady had been at the same court for a similar offence just over a week previously – on March 22 – when he was given a three-month sentence suspended for 18 months.
He sentenced him to four months in prison for the latest offences and activated the suspended sentence, resulting in a total period in custody of seven months.
