65 year old man charged following investigations into hoax calls to Essex Police
Over 3000 calls were made over three years
Last updated 24th Jun 2023
A 65 year old man has been charged following an investigation into persistent and nuisance calls to the Essex Police force control room.
Between 1 January 2021 and 19 June this year, the control room received over 3,000 nuisance calls from three different numbers.
Its been reported that in each case, the calls were made to report complaints about GP waiting times, make sexually explicit comments and to ask for the time and the names of call takers.
Following investigations into the calls, officers were able to identify a person of interest.
On Thursday 22 June, a 65-year-old man was arrested in Wickford.
Leonard Lowe, of Appletree Way, in Wickford, has now been charged with persistently making use of public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety.
Lowe been released on conditional bail and is scheduled to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on 13 July.
Chief Inspector Jamie Gingell, who leads our force control room, said: “All emergency services work hard to answer emergency calls as quickly possible to be able to help people, keep victims safe and in our case, catch criminals.
“We want to be able to deliver the best and fastest service possible to protect people in their hour of need and get officers to where they are needed most.
“We will not shy away from prosecuting those who place the wider public at risk though such misuse. I want to reassurance to the Essex public that we are focussed on their safety and making sure they receive the service they deserve.”