Peterborough man who made 123 menacing calls to police given suspended jail sentence

Virginijus Josas (58) made a total of 123 calls to officers between March 3 and June 27 this year.

He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court last month where he pleaded guilty to one count of persistently using a public electronic communications network for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another.

He was handed a six month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £122. The victim surcharge is applied to many court cases, with the money going into a pot to help all victims of crime.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman warned others to only call the 999 emergency number in a genuine emergency.

He said: "How would you feel if a member of your family was unable to get the help they required because the police, fire or ambulance services had been called away on a hoax call?

"All calls to the emergency services are recorded and we can always trace the number, even if the call is made from a withheld number or public phone box. If you are found to be making a hoax call you could be fined or even sent to prison. Misuse of 999 and hoax calls are a criminal offence. You could face a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison or a fine of £5,000."