21 year old man convicted of making hoax calls to the fire service

A 21 year old man from Chiltern Avenue, High Wycombe has been convicted of making hoax calls to the fire service.

The pleaded guilty, at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, to two counts of giving a false alarm of fire to a person acting on behalf of a fire and rescue authority.

On Saturday 12th July 2014 the man made calls to Bucks Fire and Rescue Service giving false names from different phone numbers. In these calls, he claimed that there was a house fire in Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe, and that the road was blocked.

Bucks Fire and Rescue Service dispatched two appliances to the scene but confirmed that there was no fire at the address and that the call had been a hoax.

Despite the false names and non-registered phone numbers, High Wycombe police were able to identify the suspect and he was arrested shortly afterwards.

The man was charged on Monday 18th August 2014 and pleaded guilty at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 9th December 2014.  He was sentenced to a 12 month supervision order and ordered to pay £145 costs.

Sgt Darren Mitchell from the Wycombe West Neighbourhood policing team said: ‘Making hoax calls to the emergency services is an extremely foolish thing to do. The fire engines that were sent to answer [the man’s] calls could have been needed elsewhere and by directing resources away from real emergencies he created a  risk to the community. I am pleased to see that he has pleaded guilty to these charges and been given a suitable sentence which I hope will deter him from repeating this offence in the future.‘

Karen Lock from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service said: ‘Emergency services and courts take a very dim view of this type of behaviour. Hoax calls can cost lives, and this highlights what can happen to the individuals who make them.‘