Man is jailed for hoax Green Goddess call-out
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A man with a fascination for fire engines was jailed for two months yesterday for making a hoax 999 call during the recent firefighters' strike.
Bryan Kyle, 37, of Halifax, West Yorkshire, called from a telephone box 100 yards from a police station just so he could see a Green Goddess, Calderdale magistrates' court heard yesterday.
Kyle pleaded guilty to sending a false message to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety. Patrick Fleming, for the prosecution, told the court that Kyle made the 999 call at 12.26am on 14 November. Mr Fleming said: "I believe it was the first day of the initial fire brigade strike."
But the operator – a police constable – suspected Kyle had been drinking because, throughout the call, he was abusive and at one stage even threatened to burn down the police officer's house.
Mr Fleming said the police officer managed to keep Kyle talking until another officer arrived at the public payphone to confront him. Kyle was interviewed later and said he had been drinking cider and vodka the previous night, and had no recollection of the incident.