Wick teen given chance after ‘abusive’ false 999 call

People who abuse emergency call handlers could face a prison sentence, a sheriff in Wick has warned.

However, Sheriff Gordon Lamont decided to give teenager Tyler Alexander, who swore at a handler and refused to obey his instructions, a chance.

The 19-year-old admitted, at Wick Sheriff Court, making an unjustified call to the 999 service earlier this year when he was made subject to a good behaviour order. The accused returned to court last week for sentence.

Recalling the incident which happened in the early hours, for the benefit of Sheriff Lamont, who had not dealt with the case previously, fiscal depute David Barclay said that it followed an altercation involving Alexander and others in Bridge Street, Wick, on December 9, last year.

The accused, who witnesses said displayed “an intoxicated demeanour”, then made the call to the emergency line, although there was no emergency.

Mr Barclay went on: “He started making abusive and racial comments to the call handler. It was more the drunken rambling of someone in a confused state rather than anything sinister.”

Mr Barclay reported that Alexander, of Thurso Road, Wick, had not come to the attention of the police during his good behaviour period, either directly or cropped up in any other unrelated cases.

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Sheriff Lamont told the accused: “The court treats this type of behaviour seriously, particularly in relation to emergency service call handlers who should not have to experience such abuse. It is no exaggeration to say that if there is any repeat of your behaviour, you would be looking at a prison sentence fairly rapidly.”

However, the sheriff said he took into account mitigating factors, that Alexander was a first offender, had behaved since the offence about which he had expressed remorse and had taken responsibility for his actions at an early stage.

Sheriff Lamont, who usually sits at the Stornoway and Lochmaddy courts, added: “I will treat this as a mistake from which you have learned and have taken steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again and will admonish you. But if there is any repeat of your behaviour the court will deal with it more strictly.”