Google News Consequences of Harassing Emergency Services: 77-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison
by FARUK IMAMOVIC | VIEW 184
A 77-year-old pensioner from Great Britain, Roger Jackson, has been sentenced to 39 months in prison for making over 7,000 abusive calls to emergency services. The Sussex Police Station and the South East Coast Ambulance Service stated that Jackson had been making the harassing calls since September 2020.
Impact on Emergency Services
Jackson's constant calling reportedly wasted over 400 hours of emergency services time, causing a hindrance to the contact center's ability to provide assistance to individuals in need. Sarah-Louise Gliddon, a police spokeswoman, stated that Jackson had received multiple warnings before his arrest.
She added, "For every genuine caller waiting to speak to us, there may be one of these callers in front of them such as Roger Jackson. Jackson has been a persistent caller for a number of years and as such has been given multiple warnings up to his arrest last year owing to the volume of calls he was making to both police and ambulance." In addition to his prison sentence, Jackson will also receive a criminal behavior order for 10 years. The force has dealt with over 700 individuals making nuisance calls since 2014.
"Verbal Abuse"
Nathan Daxner, a frequent caller lead and paramedic for the South East Coast Ambulance Service, expressed the impact of Jackson's actions on emergency services personnel. He stated, "Jackson subjected our call center staff to repeated vile verbal abuse on a daily basis, and the impact his actions should not be underestimated.
Just one malicious and false call puts lives at risk by diverting our attention and resources away from people in our communities who genuinely need our help." Jackson's actions not only wasted valuable time and resources of emergency services, but also subjected call center staff to verbal abuse.
His sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of making malicious and harassing calls to emergency services.