A MAN has been sent to prison for a total of 52 weeks for 20 offences including several breaches of a criminal behaviour order banning him from calling 999 when there was no genuine emergency, being drunk in charge of a mobility scooter, and the assault of a paramedic.

Andrew Peacock, 40, was found guilty in his absence at Skipton Magistrates Court last month for the assault by beating of a Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic and for breaching the criminal behaviour order, imposed by magistrates in 2015, by calling 999 in the Market Place, Settle on November 12, 2018.

He was also found guilty of failing to appear at court on March 1, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

At the trial on August 13, the court heard that Peacock called 999 in quick succession from outside Settle Town Hall during the evening of November 12 , claiming to be suffering from chest pains. The second time he called, he threatened to throw himself in front of a train, if an ambulance did not arrive.

Giving evidence, paramedic, Daniel Carter, who responded to both calls, said Peacock was sitting on a bench and was drinking alcohol when they arrived, and in his opinion there had been ‘no emergency whatsoever’. The paramedics withdrew and called the police after Peacock took a swing at Mr Carter, was abusive and threw cans at the windscreen of the ambulance.

Peacock later claimed to police he had been knocked down by a car, that a woman had called 999 for him, and he had drunk 20 cans of cider during the evening.

Peacock, of Barrel Sykes, Settle, was sentenced at York Magistrates Court on August 29. His other offences were: Criminal damage on June 5 at Lumb Lane, Bradford, two weeks custody; assault of a police officer, two weeks, there was no separate penalty for a public order offence during the same incident. Breach of criminal behaviour order on June 23 at Airedale General Hospital, by calling the hospital when there was no genuine emergency, then entering the hospital and refusing to leave, six weeks; breach of order on October 30 at Bradford Royal Infirmary, six weeks; drunk and disorderly on November 5 at B &M Bargains, no separate penalty; breach of order on December 9 at Airedale Hospital, six weeks; drunk and disorderly on December 21 at Morrisons, Skipton, no separate penalty; breach of order on January 5 at Airedale Hospital, six weeks; breach of order on January 15 at Airedale Hospital, six weeks; assault by beating in Stevenage on January 20, and two public order offences, two weeks; obstructing a police officer at Settle on June 20, two weeks; public order offence at B&M Bargains, Skipton on July 29, two weeks; assault by beating on July 29 at Skipton Railway Station, two weeks; drunk in charge of a mobility scooter in Church Street, Settle on August 6, two weeks; obstructing the highway on August 6 in Church Street, Settle, no separate penalty.

A spokesman for the Craven Community Safety Hub said: "We have tried to support Mr Peacock on a number of occasions and despite a number of alternative options over a number of years he has continued to breach time and time again. We have to consider the wider community so we are happy that they will have a reprieve for a number of weeks while we consider alternative support for him upon release."