A NUISANCE who made repeated 999 calls, harassed police and swore at library staff faces jail if she carries on with her behaviour.

Theresa Martindale was made subject to a three year criminal behaviour order when she appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday. The menace is banned from making calls to emergency services unless it is a ‘genuine emergency’ and is excluded from The Hive in Worcester after she swore at staff.

The 59-year-old, of no fixed abode, made 18 calls to West Mercia Police between July 16 and August 1 this year, breaching a six month conditional discharge imposed on July 14 for similar behaviour. She admitted making persistent use of a public communication network to cause annoyance, anxiety and inconvenience. The CBO application was not contested. Julia Powell, representing Martindale, said: “This is a desperately sad situation.”

The defendant was being assisted by Maggs Day Centre but had been ‘sofa surfing’ and ‘fell between the mental health team and social services’. Despite having a number of issues she was not quite poorly enough to get the support she needed, the solicitor said.

“She gets desperately worked up about things. Coronavirus hasn’t helped any of us but certainly hasn’t helped anyone who suffers from anxiety,” said Miss Powell.

She is prohibited from: Ringing the emergency services unless a genuine emergency; ringing police (including 101), ambulance service (including 111) or other emergency services for help and then refusing entry or refusing to engage, or ringing these services to report false or malicious incidents; from making contact directly or indirectly with Martin Cook; from entering The Hive, and from behaving in any manner that causes or is likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress including shouting and swearing at people or within public hearing and making threats towards others.

Police say she made ‘multiple nuisance calls’ between August 2018 and September last year and again between October last year and January this year. A police spokesman said she had committed four public order offences, three at The Hive where she shouted and swore at staff within hearing of members of the public.