A persistent Blyth timewaster is behind bars after verbally abusing emergency workers.
Earlier this year, Ross Fyfe was handed a Community Behaviour Order (CBO) for his prolific abuse of the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) who he would call relentlessly. The 35-year-old would repeatedly make bogus calls to the service, who would attend only to be verbally and physically harmed.
And on January 20, Fyfe’s ill-treatment of emergency workers peaked, when he assaulted a paramedic by punching them to the stomach leading to the imposition of the order.
The terms of the CBO prohibit Fyfe from acting in an anti-social manner to emergency service workers and the wider public, and contacting services for any reason other than in an emergency.
However, only 11 days after the order was imposed, paramedics attended Fyfe’s Blyth address after receiving reports of him being in pain. When they arrived, they were met with an onslaught of verbal abuse – breaching his order.
Fyfe was subsequently arrested and placed into custody.
On Friday (March 10), Fyfe, of Holystone Avenue, Blyth, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he was sentenced to four months imprisonment for breach of a CBO. The order remains in place for three years.
Neighbourhood Inspector Jonathan Caisley, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is a fantastic result and shows just how resolutely Northumbria Police will continue to support our partners.
“People join the emergency services to help those most in need, however their valuable time is being wasted responding to spurious incidents such as these.
“Demand on our ambulance service is at an all-time high, and we need to do everything we can to avoid wasting valuable resources which may be needed elsewhere.
“Instances such as these are a valuable reminder to only call 999 when there is an emergency. Both the police and NEAS have non-emergency numbers which should be used in such instances.
“Please ask yourself if the situation requires an emergency services response, or if there may be an agency more suited to respond to you.”
Stephen Segasby, Chief Operating Officer at North East Ambulance Service, said: “Frequent callers take up considerable time for our service, which can impact our response to other patients. In a time where we have faced unprecedented pressure and demand, this has a significant impact to those in need.
“We recognise that often the reason someone becomes a frequent caller to 999 services is due to an unmet need and we have a dedicated team who work with GPs, mental health, and community healthcare partners to put plans in place to support such callers the best we can.
“Whilst we work to support frequent callers, we take a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse against our staff. Our people come to work to help the public of the North East and do not deserve to be abused or treated with disrespect while doing their job.”
