Man who made 30 bogus 999 calls prompting Garda investigations avoids jail

In one incident, accused claimed he had been the victim of an attempted armed robbery, while in another, he claimed a fight had broken out in a local pub and men were throwing bottles at each other

Court heard gardaí responded to each false report to investigate, including house-to-house inquiries and trawling through hours of CCTV footage. File picture

A man who made more than 30 bogus 999 calls over the course of two years has been given a three-and-half-year suspended sentence.

James Kelly, 32, of Rochford Green, Blackrock, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six sample charges of knowingly making a false report on dates between February 2021 and March 2023. The court heard the maximum penalty available to the court was five years.