By Rebecca Sherdley
Nottingham Evening Post
NOTTINGHAM, England — A 999 HOAXER who subjected women to months of abuse has been jailed.
Mark Longdon, of the Victoria Centre flats, Nottingham, persistently harassed his victims by reporting hoax calls of fires and medical emergencies at their home addresses.
He threatened to strangle a council antisocial behaviour officer and was abusive towards his neighbours and Nottingham City Homes staff. The harassment began after a barmaid at a pub in the city centre turned down his request to go out with him.
When she moved to a second pub, she took care not to say where she was going, Nottingham Crown Court heard. So she was surprised to receive a card at her home address from Longdon that said: “Hi. I hope you are okay. Give me a hug.”
He then turned up at her new place of work in St Ann’s, when she made clear said she did not want a relationship.
Thirty minutes after he left, an ambulance arrived at the pub responding to a claim a woman was in labour.
“At 2am the following morning an ambulance came to her home on a similar basis and at 9am the following morning,” said Jim Metcalf, prosecuting.
“The woman describes ambulances being called to her home two or three times a day for the next fortnight.”
Police warned 49-year-old Longdon to stop, but he continued.
“One officer was involved in a traffic accident getting to this incident, because he needed to get there as quickly as possible,” said Mr Metcalf.
In August and September Longdon started sending fire engines to the woman’s home.
In another case, emergency services forced entry into one of the women’s homes because they believed she was trapped inside.
“Longdon put these women through a horrible ordeal,” said Sergeant Huw Jones.
“He made over 40 calls to the emergency services, selfishly taking up precious officer time and resources.”
Longdon was arrested and charged with harassment and causing a public nuisance in September.
He denied any wrongdoing and continued to make hoax calls from his home.
Longdon appeared at Nottingham Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to the two offences.
Judge Michael Stokes QC sent him to prison for three years.
He also imposed a restraining order stopping Longdon from contacting the barmaid.
The judge said: “While it is plain you have a longstanding problem in relation to alcohol, that cannot even begin to excuse your campaign against this innocent woman.”
Claire Morancor, in mitigation, said her client could not remember the majority of the offending.
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