LISTEN: Man jailed after making 17 hoax calls to fire service on Christmas Eve

Excerpts from Michael Eames’ phones conversations with call handlers at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have been made public after the organisation reported a spike in people misusing the service.

The 23-year-old, from Winchester, made the calls over three hours on Christmas Eve last year.

He claimed a person was trapped in a burning building, and also called other emergency services.

In total he called the fire service 21 times between December 24 and January 4 falsely claiming people were trapped in fires in Winchester and Basingstoke.

In the audio he can be heard gloating: ‘I won’t get arrested, I promise you.’

He used different names, addresses, scenarios and potential victims to confuse call handlers.

Crews were called out after the first call on Christmas Eve, but call handlers still suspected it was a hoax after asking additional questions.

Following more calls an alert was placed meaning that firefighters enroute to his reports were told it was a potential hoax before arriving.

Figures show hoax calls to the fire service have gone up by more than 60 percent in the past four years.

In 2014 the service received 183 hoax calls but by 2015 the number had risen to 192, before climbing to 231 in 2016 and 295 in 2017.

On January 23 Eames was sentenced to 12 weeks behind bars and handed a two-year restraining order.

Station Manager of Control Allison Burrows said: ‘The custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime.

‘Hoax calls waste our time, costs the public money and, more worryingly, really do put lives at risk. We hope the recordings help show this.

‘I am extremely proud of the team for the rigorous yet professional way they exposed the caller with a series of challenging questions until he hung up.

‘On further calls they tried to explain the seriousness of his actions and the potential life-threatening consequences while also urging him to get support for himself.’

As well as being sentenced to prison emergency services can contact the mobile phone provider of the offender and have the service cut off.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority Chairman Councillor Chris Carter said: ‘Hoax calls cost lives – it’s that simple.

‘People calling in with false reports need to consider how they would feel if someone delayed firefighters getting to them or their loved ones.

‘If that is not enough motivation to stop offenders maybe the prospect of going to prison and having their phone cut off will be.’