News / Nuisance caller warned
A PERSISTENT nuisance caller from Shetland has been warned he faces a long time in jail if he ever calls the police for no good reason again.
Eighteen year old Nathan Hilditch, of 12a Horseshoe Close, Virkie, appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday after spending four days on remand, an experience which had terrified him.
Hilditch was locked up at the weekend after he admitted breaching a bail condition that he stay sober and never call 999 unless there was an emergency.
Instead he had got drunk and called 101 from Lerwick’s Esplanade and when the police turned up he told them he was only banned from calling 999.
After being given a stern warning he called 999 anyway and soon found himself in the cells.
This followed hundreds of other nuisance calls made between August and December last year, for which he also pled guilty.
On Monday Sheriff Philip Mann remanded Hilditch in custody and on Thursday his defence agent Tommy Allan said it had been an experience he did not wish to repeat.
“He has not in any way shape or form enjoyed his stay in custody. It’s been a very traumatic experience for him,” he said.
He had been “simply terrified” after a bus trip from Aberdeen prison to Polmont young offenders institution, near Falkirk, overhearing a conversation between two other prisoners.
“If Mr Hilditch didn’t appreciate he was getting into serious trouble he certainly does now and he’s adamant there is no way he wants to go back there,” Allan said.
He added that his client only called the police when he was drunk, and he had now sworn himself off alcohol to avoid this ever happening again.
Sheriff Philip Mann said he could legitimately jail Hilditch for “a very, very long time”, but instead he followed social workers’ recommendations that he placed under supervision for nine months during which he must carry out 220 hours community service.
The sheriff warned him that any breach of the order would see him locked up.
“You know what it’s like to be inside, it’s not a very pleasant experience so if you end up inside you only have yourself to blame,” he said.
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