A MAN who had been dumped by his girlfriend sought revenge by sending bogus 999 calls to the police.

Blackburn magistrates heard in one Russell Edward Smith said his partner had attacked him with a knife.

In the other he reported a car had collided with a pedestrian and gave the registration number of his former partner’s vehicle.

Both calls had been recorded and the ex-girlfriend was able to identify Smith as the caller.

Smith, 29, of Kentmere Drive, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing wasteful employment of police resources. He was given a conditional discharge for 18 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and £21 victim surcharge.

Stacey Morrow, prosecuting, said the defendant’s ex-partner lived in Barrow-in-Furness.

On February 19 police received a call from a man saying he had been threatened with a knife at her home address.

He said he had managed to escape from the house and said he would wait for the police at a nearby supermarket.

Officers were deployed to her home and the supermarket and it became clear there had been no incident.

A week later police attended her address after Lancashire police transferred a report from a man who said he had seen a car hit a pedestrian.

“He provided the registration of his ex-girlfriend’s car and police attended at her address,” said Miss Morrow. “It became clear she hadn’t been involved in any kind of collision.”

Damian Pickup, defending, said Smith had met his former partner in 2017 and he moved to Barrow-in-Furness. His convictions prior to that had all related to him drinking to excess.

“When he moved he curtailed his drinking and turned his life around,” said Mr Pickup. “He had a good stable relationship with the lady and a good job as a hotel supervisor.”

Mr Pickup said late in January Smith came home from work and she told him the relationship was over and she didn’t want him there anymore.

“It was late at night and he ended up phoning his dad and asking him to drive up from Blackburn and pick him up because he had nowhere else to go,” said Mr Pickup. “He was back to square one and resorted to drinking alcohol again.”

Mr Pickup said the two offences were committed when his client was in a drunken stupor.

“He loved her and had a good life with her,” said Mr Pickup. “He struggled to cope with her finishing it out of the blue.”

He said Smith had not touched alcohol for two months.