'I've put three bombs outside new police HQ': Drunken Hull man's hoax 999 call

A MAN could be jailed after claiming to have planted bombs at a new £30m police station.

David Grima called 999 to say he had put three pipe bombs in car exhausts parked at the Clough Road station, the new headquarters for police in Hull.

He told the operator: "You know that new Clough Road police station? I've put three pipe bombs in exhausts outside.

"The code word is crown jewels. You've got 20 minutes to go."

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Grima, 42, had been drinking all day and had taken five anti-depressant tablets and seven ibuprofen when he made the call.

Police immediately suspected it was a hoax call and no officers were evacuated from the station.

Grima also told the call operator: "I'm mental. The Government has made me mental.

"I'm watching you now. I'm in the car. You better get them out. I'm serious. Bye."

Hull Magistrates Court heard Grima, of Norton Grove, west Hull, had made a "similar" hoax call to police in 2010, when he was given a ten-week suspended prison sentence.

He admitted sending a false message to cause anxiety or distress under the Malicious Communications Act.

The court heard he laughed when he was given details of the call during police interview.

Prosecutor Heather Levett said Grima called police from his mobile – the same number he had used to contact Humberside Police at a previous date.

"When police arrived at his address, he was on the sofa pretending to be asleep," she said.

"He said he had taken the tablets to numb pains in his legs, but they had numbed his head instead.

"When he was asked in interview if he called police pretending to have a bomb, he began laughing.

"He was asked if it was funny to do something like that and he said because of the code word crown jewels, he never thought anyone would take it seriously.

"He said it was all a joke."

Ian Phillip, representing Grima, said the call was not taken seriously by police.

"It is fair to say, this is not a call that put the police on high alert," said Mr Phillip.

"It was not a serious threat. It is not a case where the police put an armed response unit on emergency alert or anything like that.

"This was a drunken hoax call, although it did waste police time by him having to be arrested.

"In interview, he wasn't laughing because he thinks this should be taken lightly. He thought, because of the use of the code word crown jewels, the whole thing was ridiculous."

Presiding magistrate Richard Farr ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Grima.

He said: "Having heard what has been said, we are not convinced this is quite as light as has been made out."

Grima will be sentenced later this month.