Woman made fake calls to the police

Vivien Collins falsely claimed her flatmate and another tenant had attacked her and that she had been threatened.

Collins, 55, of General Street, Blackpool, pleaded guilty to persistently using the public communication network to make nuisance 
calls.

She was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £15 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.

Prosecutor Malcolm Isherwood, said Collins made five calls to the police between March 11 and 12.

At first she claimed she was being threatened by a woman who lived upstairs in her block of flats.

Secondly she said the woman was knocking on her door asking her for money.

In the third call she maintained the woman was fighting with a man and finally that the woman had attacked her and was demanding money.

A police patrol called at Collins address but no-one answered and officer called the phone number she had rung the police from, but there was no replied.

Police returned to her address and found her in. She then claimed her flat-mate had assaulted her.

She was warned not to call police making false allegations, but she said she would continue to call.

Later at 1am she phoned police say a man from upstairs had pulled her hair. When police investigated, a man with Collins said no-one else had been with them.

When interviewed Collins said she had been drinking wine.

She admitted calling the police and said she also called the fire brigade claiming the flats’ fire alarm had gone off, whereupon an ambulance also turned up.

She had a previous fixed penalty fine of £90 for wasting police time.

Hugh Pond, defending, said his client appeared to have some sort of medical problem.

Collins had said she had been in a number of abusive relationships and that she was a very nervous woman.

Mr Pond added: “She now appreciates she must not phone the police unless it is a genuine emergency.”

Collins said she was on medication and told magistrates: “I did not mean to do it. It was just in panic.”