‘I’m grateful for my freedom’ – those are the words of a Ventnor man who avoided being sent to prison despite making over 1,000 nuisance calls to the emergency services.
Michael Clifton-Smith, 35, of High Street in Ventnor, appeared before Magistrates yesterday (Friday) having admitted 2 charges of persistently making use of public communication to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety, as well as obstructing/resisting a constable in the execution of their duty and failing to comply with a community protection notice.
Prosecutor Lauren Stone told the court that between March 2022 and February 2023, Clifton-Smith made over 1,000 nuisance calls to both the 999 and 111 emergency lines. Clifton-Smith would ramble and rant and made threats to call handlers including ‘I will hunt you down’ and that he ‘would kill every operator on the phone lines’.
The court heard how some of the emergency call handlers had to take time off after the incidents, with 1 call handler saying that the 35-year-old’s rants delayed an ambulance getting to patient who was having a heart attack, with the unwell individual having to be urgently airlifted to hospital as a result.
In a victim personal statement read aloud in court, 1 call handler said ‘the utter contempt he showed was unfathomable’. Michael Clifton-Smith would say he would slit his throat if an ambulance wasn’t sent to him but never consented to the assessment procedure so no ambulance was ever sent.
The 35-year-old had been handed a community protection notice in April and was warned not to contact BT, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service or Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service unless there was an immediate risk to life or property.
Fast forward to 16th June and Clifton-Smith once again persistently called the emergency services. Then, on 11th July, he resisted arrest by refusing to allow a Police sergeant access to his property, causing the officer injury after he was wedged between the doorframe and the door.
Defending Clifton-Smith, Reber Kamaran said that his client has learning difficulties, is on the autistic spectrum and suffers from agoraphobia and PTSD after an unrelated incident in the past. He also added that since July, Clifton-Smith has made no further calls to the emergency services or BT.
Clifton-Smith had previously been examined by a psychiatric expert to determine if he was fit to enter a plea. Sentencing Clifton-Smith, Magistrates handed him a financial penalty.
The 35-year-old was fined £240 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £96 victim surcharge fee. Michael Clifton-Smith thanked the bench for being ‘just and true’ before proclaiming ‘I’m grateful for my freedom’ and ‘God save the King’ as he walked out of the court.
