A DRUNK told the police he was going to kill himself during a series of relentless alcohol-fuelled 999 calls.
Gerald Morgan, 59, called the emergency hotline four times between February 17 and March 1 last year, making a variety of exaggerated claims.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard just two days prior to the first call, Morgan, who has a history of making false emergency calls, had been banned from dialling 999 in anything other than a genuine incident.
He was finally caught and detained after a police officer was deployed to his home in Queen Anne Drive, West Mersea, in September.
David Baird, prosecuting, said: “He made a call to 101 where he said ‘I’m going to hang myself, I’ve got a rope’.
“When an officer arrived he was in bed with no rope but he was intoxicated.”
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Mr Baird added Morgan’s other calls were made while he was drunk and had consisted of him claiming he had been defrauded of his £30,000 lifesavings.
Matthew Morgan, mitigating, said traumatic deaths in his client’s family had sent him spiralling into alcoholism.
Morgan admitted breaching his criminal behaviour order on five occasions and was handed a six month prison sentence.
Having spent this time while on remand at Chelmsford Prison, he is due to be released from custody immediately.
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During his sentencing, Morgan told Recorder Gabrielle Posner he has turned his life around and hopes to launch his own alcohol support group in West Mersea.
“If you should come across me in public I would come across as a very fine man,” said the former landscaper.
“I have really gone out of my way [in prison] your honour and have made fantastic progress.
“Coming to prison, I know it is probably not the best thing to say, but it has made the best difference for me.”
Mrs Posner said she was “entirely satisfied” with Morgan’s progress and was prepared to “wipe the slate clean”.
“Clearly you are somebody who has had a lot of sadness and a lot of bad things have happened,” she said.
“You have made the best use of your time in custody and you have been a model prisoner.”
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