A 76-year-old woman will be spending Christmas in prison after being sentenced to a 14-week custodial sentence by Haverfordwest magistrates for making nuisance 999 calls.
Four days after being given a suspended prison sentence on December 6 for making false calls to the emergency services, Ann Gateley of Chapel Hill Lane, Templeton, once again began making unnecessary 999 calls.
“Just days after being given the suspended prison sentence, at 3.15pm on December 10 she rang the police asking for assistance and then hung up on the officers,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates.
"Half an hour later, they received a further call asking for help. But when the police attended, the defendant was fast asleep in bed.”
Ms Vaughan went on to say that that again, just after midnight on December 11, Gateley made further 999 calls asking for help.
But when officers arrived at her home, the defendant was in bed, safe and well.
The final call was made at 8.45am the following morning when she again requested the assistance of officers after making another 999 call.
Ann Gateley was represented in court by Mr Liam Francis who described his client as ‘an extremely vulnerable lady’.
“She lives alone with her dogs and has some issues with alcohol,” he said. “She doesn’t recall the incident happening but the numbers have been linked to her.
“There was no malice nor harm involved in the calls, and she’s very remorseful that she’s wasted police time. She’s also fully aware of the position that she’s now in this afternoon.”
After considering the evidence, magistrates sentenced Ann Gateley to 14 weeks in prison.
“This is obviously challenging for you, but you are making these calls in a wilful way, of which you were fully accountable,” said presiding magistrate Dr Iain Robertson-Steele.
“You also ignored the criminal behavioural orders which prevented you from making those calls.
“The emergency services are under considerable pressure at the moment, and this sort of behaviour causes considerable disruption, and could even result in the loss of life.
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“It’s a very sad position that a lady of your age will spend Christmas and the festive period in prison, but let this be a warning for you.”
In addition to her custodial sentence, Ann Gateley was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £154 surcharge.
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