Telford bus station bomb hoaxer given restraining order
When police received a call about a bomb in Telford bus station, their immediate response was not to evacuate the building but to pay a visit the caller's house, a court heard.
Officers were aware that Nathan Alan Williams had already been prosecuted for making a similar threat to a railways station, Telford Magistrates Court was told.
Williams was given an indefinite restraining order to not contact the emergency services on 999 for anything other than a real emergency.
Mrs Sara Beddow, prosecuting, said the last offence was committed when police received the call from Williams' mobile at 12.50pm on January 2.
He told them "there's a bomb at the bus station".
By 1.10pm officers were at his house in Newport where they learned that the defendant had called in again saying he was at Telford Town Centre and had been punched and needed the police.
Officers obliged by arresting him.
Magistrates heard that Williams had been "set up to fail" when he was given a conditional discharge instead of a community punishment when he was convicted of making a fake bomb threat to Machynlleth train station on September 2 last year.
Mrs Beddows said that the defendant had told police he made the calls after becoming "agitated".
"He described a feeling of tension building up which ends up with him making false 999 calls," she said.
Williams, of Audley House Mews in Newport, had previously pleaded guilty of making a bomb hoax call on September 29.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 30 days of rehabilitation activities, fined £50 and ordered to pay a total of £375 in various court charges.
Magistrates heard that the 27-year-old defendant suffered from autism, ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Miss Kate Scully, for Williams, said that the actions of the police, who were aware of the defendant's background, had meant minimum disruption for officers and the general public.
She said the defendant's method of coping with stress was "to become a nuisance" and said he would benefit from the support of the Probation Service.
"In hindsight the conditional discharge was not the best option," she said: "He was set up to fail."
A community punishment would put the defendant in touch with relevant agencies who could work to prevent further offending, she added.
