Hoax calls blind woman spared return to prison

Apr 18 2008 The Journal

A BLIND woman who has made hundreds of hoax calls to the emergency services over the past eight years has been given another chance by a judge to keep her freedom.

Denise Talbot was made the subject of a three-year anti-social behaviour order by magistrates in November 2005 after bombarding the emergency services with nuisance calls.

The order prohibited the 49-year-old, of Seymour Street in North Shields, from contacting 999 services except in a genuine emergency.

But yesterday she was before Newcastle Crown Court for the breaching of the Asbo for the 18th time.

The court heard how in March this year, just two days after being given a 26-week jail term suspended for 12 months for making nuisance calls, Talbot rang police threatening to harm herself.

Tony Glover, prosecuting, said: “Police went to the house and spoke to her. She said she had no intention of harming herself but simply wanted some electricity. Police noted no problem with the electricity, gave her advice about the use and misuse of the telephone and left. However at 1.20am, another call was received. She is described as hysterical, shouting and screaming she was going to kill herself.

“The same officer went back to the house. She said she had no electricity and when asked about self-harm said ‘of course not’.”

Mr Glover said the officer had noticed an empty litre bottle of vodka he had seen three-quarters full on the previous visit.

Stephen Duffield, defending, said Talbot could not have complained if on the last occasion she had been given an immediate, rather than a suspended, prison sentence.

“This was a repeated breach of an anti-social behaviour order,” he told the court. “But on the other side of the coin, she has been sent to prison on a number of occasions and that clearly has not had any effect whatever.”

Talbot, who has spent five weeks in custody since her last arrest, admitted breaching the order.

Judge David Hodson extended the earlier suspended prison term to last 18 months and warned she risked going back to prison if she flouted the order again.

“I don’t know what we are going to do with you,” the judge told her. “It was just two days after I gave you a chance and you simply can’t keep going on like this.

“Everyone is trying to help you in respect of this breach. You are liable to be sent to prison if you breach this order. Please do not. Any breaches will be reserved to myself. Don’t let me down.”