webpicA PHONE pest who sent an abusive text message to a reporter has been handed a 12-month community order.
John Spare had already been convicted of plaguing police with nuisance and malicious calls last year.
Just two weeks after the story appeared in print, the 63-year-old sent the message to crime correspondent Martin Naylor.
The message, which was sexual and offensive, included the abusive terms ‘four-eyed, filthy, alcoholic, decrepit and demented’.
Spare, of Ivy Close, Willington, admitted at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, sending the text for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety.
As well as the community order, Spare was ordered to pay £100 compensation, a £60 surcharge and £85 costs.
Derbyshire police also applied for an anti-social behaviour order but this was turned down by the court.
Inspector Paul Cannon, of South Derbyshire police section, said: “We are happy with the sentence and hope that it sends out a strong message that we or the judicial system will not tolerate a misuse of the communication process to the police or make nuisance phone calls to anyone.”
In the first case, Spare bombarded the Derbyshire force’s non-emergency 101 number with 61 calls between January and October – often becoming irate and, on occasion, abusive.
That court hearing, in November last year, was told how one time he falsely claimed he was being harassed by Mr Naylor.
In another call he wrongly said he was being threatened and that the police “were doing nothing about it”.
Two weeks after that story was printed, he sent the ranting text message to Mr Naylor on his work mobile phone.
In it, Spare made sexually explicit remarks, swore and accused the reporter of making nuisance phone calls to him.
The message said: “Get a life you sad, four-eyed, miserable filthy, foul-mouthed, slovenly, alcoholic decrepit.”
Mr Naylor reported the abusive text message to the police.
