Criminal behaviour order for abusive 999 caller

A man who persistently abused the 999 service has been handed a three-year criminal behaviour order.

Todd Germeney, 36, of East Road, Cambridge, called the emergency line 19 times between January 30 and February 19 last year.

During the calls he made extreme allegations and threatened to damage a police station and harm officers.

Germeney was arrested and charged with threatening to damage property, persistently making use of a public communication network to cause annoyance and sending an offensive message by public communication network.

He was found guilty of the offences at Cambridge Crown Court last month and sentenced at Huntingdon Crown Court on Friday, March 12.

The order means Germeney must report any non-emergency by visiting a police station. He also must not call or incite others to call 999 unless there is a genuine need for emergency services. Germeney was also given a two-year community order and must pay £200 in costs.

PC Matthew Lander said: “The misuse of our 999 service will not be tolerated, nor will abusive behaviour towards our call handlers.”

For more information on hoax calling and what to do if you know someone is abusing police contact lines, visit Cambridgeshire Constabulary's website.

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