A reckless man who caused a costly mountain rescue operation in North Wales by making a fake emergency call has been sentenced to prison. Michael Cuminskey, 23, from Stockton, Tyne-and-Wear, was given a 16-month jail term at Caernarfon Crown Court for his hoax call that wasted thousands of pounds.
On 25th March 2016, Cuminskey contacted North Wales Police claiming that a man had fallen in the Dinorwig area. This prompted an immediate response from the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team and the HM Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter. Volunteers risked their safety responding to what was later revealed to be a cruel prank.
PC Gethin Jones of North Wales Police condemned the hoax, stating, “Hoax calls put lives at risk and are a costly and wasteful use of resources and Cuminskey showed a complete disregard for this fact. This incident alone cost the public purse over £32,000. The search helicopter could have been needed for a real emergency elsewhere.”
Phil Benbow, Chair of the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association, criticised the false alarm for placing a heavy burden on already stretched resources. He said, “Last year our teams handled nearly 600 incidents, with the Llanberis team attending 213. We rely solely on charity donations to fund this vital work. Unnecessary calls like this eat up resources and risk lives. We fully support North Wales Police in making sure crooks like Cuminskey are punished.”
Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard, the National Police Chief’s Council lead on Search and Rescue, issued a warning about the dangers of hoax calls. “Mountain Rescue teams in Snowdonia are volunteers doing a tough job. North Wales is one of the UK’s busiest rescue regions. Each false call wastes valuable air and rescue crew time, clogs up the 999 system, and puts lives at risk. Courts take these offences very seriously. This sentence should serve as a stark warning,” he said.
Cuminskey’s jail sentence sends a clear message that prank calls to emergency services will not be tolerated. In a region where every second counts, wasting lives and public money with hoaxes is unforgivable.
Originally published by UKNIP.
