Persistent 999 nuisance caller handed suspended sentence and five-year ASBO
A man described as one of the worst offenders in Northern Ireland for making nuisance calls to the ambulance service, has received a suspended jail term and has been made the subject of a five-year ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order).
Gary Bailey, 34, of Ballymoney Road, Ballymena, was sentenced at the town's magistrates' court for persistent misuse of a communications network between December 2023 and April 2025.
The defendant had a previous record.
A prosecutor said the defendant had one of the highest nuisance call rates to the ambulance service “in the province”.
The court was told that although the charge sheet referred to between December 2023 and April 2025, there were 119 calls from November 2021 to November 2024.
Calls were made to the 999 emergency number and the 101 police number but on many occasions when ambulances arrived “he refuses to travel”.
The prosecutor said the defendant had signed, voluntarily, an acceptable behaviour contract on December 20, 2023.
The terms of that were that he was only to contact emergency services if there was a genuine emergency.
“That clearly didn't work” as there were further calls, the prosecutor said.
Between December 20, 2023 and April 7, 2025 there were 65 calls.
The court was told another file for additional offending is due before the court.
A defence barrister said the defendant has “health conditions”.
District Judge Nigel Broderick told the defendant: “You seem to be of the opinion that you need the services of the emergency services, in particular an ambulance, but given the volume of contact and engagement with ambulance service I am satisfied that these calls were, at the very minimum, nuisance calls.”
He said it was “serious” offending because the ambulance service is “under pressure” and a “finite resource” and is there for people “who genuinely need it”.
He added: “Whenever an ambulance goes to you they are not going to somebody with genuine need. So you are depriving somebody else who is waiting for an ambulance and I regard that as serious matter.”
The judge said he was concerned about the number of reported incidents and handed down a four-months prison term, suspended for three years.
A five-year ASBO was also put in in place. As part of that the defendant is not prohibited from contacting the emergency services in an emergency but when doing so he is not to cause them harassment, alarm or distress and is not to use “rude, offensive, indecent or obscene” words or gestures.