A Woonona woman who made more than 25 "unnecessary" calls to Triple Zero at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has narrowly avoided time behind bars.
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Linda Finlay fronted Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday where she pleaded guilty to two counts of making false calls to emergency services and damaging property in June last year.
Magistrate Michael O'Brien spared Finlay a jail sentence, instead handing her a 12-month, community-based intensive correction order.
He warned the 69-year-old not to breach the order or she would likely spend the rest of the sentence in custody.
"Emergency services in this state are stretched to breaking point and people rely on the availability of emergency services for obvious reasons - when theres a real emergency," he said.
"Lives may depend on how quickly they can respond. You might be someone that needs it one day."
Court documents said Finlay called Triple Zero at 3.56am, 5.55am, 6.34am and 7.23am onJune 20 to tell operators her neighbour was verbally abusing her.
When officers arrived about 7.45am and spoke to her, she was intoxicated and was warned if she continued to call emergency services without a valid reason she may be arrested and charged.
Finlay called again a further three times stating she was concerned about going to jail.
Police and ambulance officers arrived and determined she had no reason to contact emergency services before she was issued with a notice to attend court.
She called Triple Zero a further five times that morning after officers left.
The next day, Finlay called Triple Zero again and made an unfounded claim she had been assaulted. Paramedics arrived and took Finlay to hospital but she refused treatment.
A couple of hours later, she called an operator again to advise she had been taken to hospital that morning. She called another two times to say her neighbour was intimidating her.
On June 22, Finlay called Triple Zero three times, then twice on June 27, once on June 28 and again on June 30.
Finlay was arrested again on June 30, taken to Wollongong Police Station and charged.
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