A man repeatedly called police, causing them to be deployed, threatening to stab his ex-partner and take his own life.
Christian Routh, 46, initially called 999 claiming that he was going to confront his ex with a knife.
Officers checked previous logs to find he had made similar calls in the past, and he then became abusive on the phone.
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Police attended his former partner’s home but she wasn’t there, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
They then went to Routh’s address in Radcliffe and were met by a different person who denied he was there.
However, after officers entered the house they found Routh sitting inside eating a roast dinner.
“He was taken to Bury police station where his phone was analysed and officers found he had made 54 calls to the police,” prosecutor Huw Edwards said.
“25 of the calls were made between July 28 and August 4 2021.
“These calls created a diversion of valuable police time.
“The content of the calls to the police stated that he was going to confront his ex-partner with a knife and that he was going to kill himself.”
The court heard that he repeated these threats in numerous calls.
In one call he was said to be intoxicated, stated he needed to see a psychologist and said if he didn’t his ex would ‘get it’ for what she had done to him.
Routh was said to have two similar convictions on his record for wasting police time.
He had previously been sentenced to a 15 month sentence which was suspended for two years for having a bladed article earlier this year.
In mitigation, his defence lawyer Paul Treble said his client had ‘significant’ issues with alcohol misuse and was taking steps to address them with his GP and the alcohol services.
Sentencing, Judge Mark Savill said: “It’s obvious, and doesn’t need me to say it, but particularly in the times we are in, the police telephone lines have to be only used by people in need of emergency assistance and serious instances.
“You clogged up the lines and wasted police time.
“You have a severe drinking problem which has contributed to your mental health difficulties - that is your own fault as you took the decision to drink.
“The prosecution says the public good is better served by you not making these calls in the first place and so this order is designed to assist you with your issues.”
Routh, of Ainsworth Road, was handed a 12 month community order, 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements after pleading guilty to offences of causing wasteful employment of police and causing a public nuisance.
He was also fined £300 for breaching the suspended sentence order.
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