A PROLIFIC nuisance caller who made hundreds of calls to Essex Police has been put behind bars.
Patrick Matthews, from Eastbourne, has been sentenced to eight weeks in prison after admitting to making use of a public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience, or anxiety.
Between October 2022 and April 2023, Matthews made 436 calls to Sussex Police and 304 calls to Essex Police.
The calls were hoaxes, sometimes abusive and threatening, and did not require an emergency police response.
The 58-year-old admitted the charge on July 5 last year and was released on unconditional bail, but by mid-afternoon the next day he had made a further 14 hoax calls to Sussex Police.
He was charged with the same offence and released on bail with the condition not to contact Sussex Police directly or indirectly, unless in a genuine emergency.
Matthews was further arrested on December 12 after breaching his bail conditions by making 16 calls to Sussex Police over the weekend prior.
The nuisance caller was sentenced to eight weeks behind bars at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on December 13.
Sarah-Louise Gliddon, the force’s persistent caller lead, said: “For every genuine caller waiting to speak to us, there may be a caller such as Matthews in front of them.
"The volume and the frequency of Matthews’ calls impacted the contact centre's ability to provide a service to the public, for people who genuinely needed police assistance or attendance while he was blocking the line.”
Ms Gliddon said her team’s work to prosecute hoax callers has slashed bogus calls from more than 16,000 in 2017 to about 8,500 in 2022.
Neighbourhood policing officer Chris Holmes said: “People call the police for help when they are most in need, expecting that officers can be there with them as soon as possible.
“Unnecessary and inappropriate use of police contact, on the phone or online, results in delays to this help. Just one call has a knock-on effect across many areas of policing, diverting vital resources away from vulnerable individuals who need assistance.”
He added the force is committed to ensuring everyone who needs help can get it.
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