News / Bail for teenager over raft of 999 nuisance calls
A TEENAGER who has become a “drain” on local police resources by making nuisance 999 calls “now running into the hundreds” was granted bail on Monday.
Appearing at Lerwick Sheriff Court, 18 year old Nathan Hilditch admitted repeatedly phoning the emergency police line after drinking alcohol when he did not need any assistance.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Hildtich was “now becoming more than a nuisance to the police”.
“When he gets drunk and wants a lift home he phones the police,” Mackenzie told the court.
The “already stretched” police force in Shetland is continually faced with sending two officers down to Virkie, where Hilditch lives at Horseshoe Close.
The fiscal said it was “becoming a real significant problem and a drain on police resources” and, if the situation continues, there will inevitably come a time when police are in Virkie when others require genuine help.
“In total the number of calls to the 999 system is now running into the hundreds, and I don’t think he understands the seriousness of what he’s doing,” Mackenzie said.
He added that Hilditch had “wilfully ignored” warnings to stop contacting the police, and opposed bail on the grounds that he had “little or no confidence” that he would abide by the conditions.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said that, while Hilditch’s behaviour was clearly problematic, he was “a young man without a significant record” of crime.
Allan said his client felt “very much on his own” and when he turned to drink it had “done him no favours”. He said it was important to get to the bottom of Hilditch’s problems with the help of social workers.
Sheriff Philip Mann deferred sentence until Thursday 9 January, when Hilditch was already due to appear in court. He went against his “initial instinct” to refuse bail and allowed Hilditch to leave custody in the meantime.
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