A SOUTH Cumbria man likened himself to gun killers Raoul Moat and Thomas Hamilton as he delivered chilling threats to a police constable.

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 on March 25 he made nine calls to 999 and 101 from the late afternoon into the evening. On some occasions he used a phone number which had landed him in trouble previously as he stayed silent, gave spurious reasons for calls or spoke of threats from others.

“Police attended his address and he was arrested for a breach of the CBO,” said prosecutor Gerard Rogerson.

But Burns, of High Wray, Ambleside, was back in trouble overnight on April 13 when he made almost a dozen more nuisance calls.

Police attended his address with one female PC using body-cam to record a frightening exchange with Burns as she encountered him at the top of stairs.

“He told her he had a variety of weapons in his room including guns and a crossbow,” said Mr Rogerson. “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.

David Traynor, defending, said Burns was a man with “drink issues”.

“Factors in his life really have become overwhelming in his mind, these threats (to him and a friend) being at the forefront of that,” said the barrister.

Burns, he said, needed a “short, sharp shock” by way of punishment, and had latterly been remanded in custody which had allowed him to “dry out”.

In addition Burns was “actively seeking help”, planning to move out of Cumbria and, insisted Mr Traynor: “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 (personnel) 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.”