An Aberdeen man made more than 100 hoax calls to the emergency services, including one asking police to send him pizza because Domino’s had stopped answering the phone.
Garry Donald repeatedly rang the 999 control room in Dundee in a drunken state, causing call operators to spend time answering his queries instead of dealing with incoming requests from those in genuine need.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that during the first half of this year alone, Donald needlessly rang organisations including the ambulance service more than 100 times.
A number of those calls involved the 46-year-old making false threats to harm himself.
Fiscal depute John Richardson said: “On Sunday, August 4, the accused was at his father’s house and borrowed his father’s mobile phone.
“He noticed the accused speaking to someone at around 4pm.”
At this time, NHS 24 received a call from Donald who said he was intending to self-harm.
Unaware that the cry for help was in fact a hoax, police were sent round to the property with officers finding him in bed and under the influence of alcohol.
Mr Richardson also recounted a similar incident from Friday, June 26.
“The accused was at his home and police received a 999 call from him,” he said.
“They knew it was him because of the number. He was clearly under the influence of alcohol.
“The purpose of his call was that he was ‘starving’ and wanted to order a pizza from Domino’s.
“But they weren’t answering the phone, so he called them instead.”
Officers were sent to Donald’s house in Danestone Place in Bridge of Don and he was given a warning.
Yesterday solicitor Charles Benzies said Donald’s court appearance might represent his “last chance” to get better.
He told the court: “He is consuming alcohol at such a rate he’s not going to be around much longer.
“Hopefully he can get the help he needs to stop his consumption.”
Sheriff Ian Wallace made Donald subject to social work supervision for the next 24 months and instructed him to remain in accommodation at the Aberdeen Cyrenians’ base on Virginia Street so that he can receive additional support.