A HEREFORD woman who made more than 50 emergency calls was prohibited from calling 999 services.
Natasha Woods, 28, of Hereford, was sentenced to a five-year criminal offense (CBO) by Hereford Magistrates Court on August 25, 2021.
The CBO was granted at the request of the West Mercia Police Department because of the significant demands that Ms. Woods placed on the emergency services through her anti-social behavior.
Since 2013, she has received more than 50 calls to both police and ambulance services saying she was harming herself or the public.
Other calls were made by the medical staff at Hereford County Hospital when Ms. Woods was threatened during the medical examination or asked to leave after she was released.
When answering calls, the emergency services found that she was safe and in no danger of harming herself.
When she was medically examined on the scene and at Hereford County Hospital, she was uncooperative and at times threatening and violent towards hospital staff.
Ms. Woods was never found to be at risk of harming herself, and it was found that her behavior was mainly caused by alcohol abuse with no underlying mental health issues.
The CBO granted against her is the second issued to her. The previous order was issued in 2010 due to similar anti-social behavior.
She is prohibited from calling emergency services, or encouraging them to call one of the emergency services for medical advice or assistance, unless they are in need of an emergency service that requires immediate examination, action or treatment.
It is also prohibited from harassing, alarming or harassing any person in a public place or in a place to which the public has access, and on or under Greyfriars Bridge, Hereford.
Ms. Woods is currently serving a prison sentence for racially threatening behavior towards hospital staff and assaulting three rescue workers at the same location.
A police spokesman said: “Woods made significant and unnecessary demands on emergency services through her malicious and reckless behavior, spending many hours looking for her, only to find that she was safe and in no danger of harming herself .
“Although she has been offered assistance and warned against her behavior many times by professionals, she has insisted on doing so.
“Threatening and sometimes violent behavior has brought concern and distress to the public and those who have tried to help them. Hopefully, issuing this order will prevent them from doing so in the future.”