A Lake District man who likened himself to gun killers Raoul Moat and Thomas Hamilton as he delivered threats to a police constable has been given a prison sentence.
Fifty-year-old Richard Anthony Burns was sentenced by magistrates in early March for making a number of hoax emergency calls over several weeks.
Burns was handed community punishment — including a rehabilitation requirement and electronically monitored night time curfew. He was also made subject to a 12-month criminal behaviour order (CBO), which banned him from calling both 999 and 101 unless in genuine need of an emergency.
But within three weeks, Burns was doing exactly that.
Carlisle Crown Court heard that on March 25 he made nine calls to 999 and 101 from the late afternoon into the evening with a phone number he’d previously used to contact police.
Burns, of High Wray, Ambleside, was arrested but found himself back in trouble overnight on April 13 when he made almost a dozen more nuisance calls.
That night, police had attended his address with one female PC using a bodycam to record a frightening exchange with Burns as she encountered him at the top of stairs. He claimed to have a variety of weapons in his room including guns and a crossbow.
Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson said: “He made reference during that conversation to likening himself to (murderer) Raoul Moat and (Dunblane school killer) Thomas Hamilton. He then plunged the situation into darkness by removing a bulb from the landing light.”
That prompted the officer to fear violence and draw a Taser.
In court, Burns admitted two CBO breaches and police assault and was said by his barrister to be a man with drink issues who had been given time to dry out while remanded in custody.
Burns was actively seeking help, planning to move out of Cumbria and, insisted David Traynor, defending: “He advises me he will not phone the police at all going forward.”
Judge Nicholas Barker imposed an immediate 17-week jail term, and ordered the previous community punishment and CBO to continue.
“Those emergency services manning 999 calls are manning a scarce resource,” said the judge.
“By you clogging up the system you are causing difficulties by restricting these professionals from doing their job; ensuring that people are able to respond quickly and effectively to genuine emergencies.
“The action you were taking was undermining that.”
