Serial Nuisance Caller Banned for 10 Years After Bombarding 999
Roger Jackson, 77, from Horsham, has pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court for repeatedly abusing emergency services. He was slapped with a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) after wasting over 400 hours of police and ambulance time since September 2020.
Police and Ambulance Staff Targeted with Abuse
Jackson made thousands of calls to Sussex Police and the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), tying up lines and verbally abusing call handlers. He made nearly 4,000 calls to 999 alone. Force Persistent Caller Lead Sarah-Louise Gliddon said, “For every genuine caller waiting to speak to us, there may be one of these callers in front of them such as Roger Jackson.”
She added, “Being police staff as a contact officer is a job to be proud of… They shouldn’t endure being spoken to the way Jackson did.”
Emergency Services Cracking Down on Persistent Hoax Callers
The flood of nuisance calls had a serious impact on the emergency contact centre, blocking genuine requests for help. Since 2014, Sussex Police has tackled over 700 individuals making hoax calls, slashing the numbers from 16,016 in 2017 to just 8,487 last year.
SECAmb Frequent Caller Lead Nathan Daxner slammed Jackson’s behaviour:
“Jackson subjected our call centre staff to repeated vile verbal abuse on a daily basis and the impact his actions should not be underestimated. One malicious and false call puts lives at risk by diverting crucial resources away from people who genuinely need help.”
He added, “We work closely with our police colleagues to ensure individuals who don’t respect our staff are held to account. We welcome the custodial sentence imposed and thank our police colleagues for their efforts.”
