Southsea nuisance 999 caller handed Criminal Behaviour Order after 38 calls where he "wanted to waste police time"

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A Hampshire man has been given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) after persistently making nuisance 999 calls, describing wasting police time as “fun”.

Neil McAvery, 50, of Omega Street in Southsea, called 999 38 times between December 2024 and May 2024, despite there being no emergency. On a number of the calls McAvery stated that he “wanted to waste police time” and once also said “this is fun this, wasting your time”.

Appearing at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Thursday, January 30, McAvery pled guilty to 10 counts of persistently making use of a public communication network to cause annoyance / inconvenience / anxiety.

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As well as being handed the CBO, which lasts for two years and requires him to not make any further nuisance calls, he was also given a suspended sentence of six weeks in prison.

A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: “This conviction was the result of a thorough investigation over several months which included reviewing many hours of 999 recordings.

“Please only call 999 when in a real genuine emergency. Calling when not an emergency, or to ‘waste police time’ can result in blocking the 999 system, which may prevent other members of the public who genuinely have an emergency from getting through. In the worst case scenario, this could cost lives.”

Further details on how to contact the police and when to call 999 can be found on the police website.

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