A persistent hoax 999 caller from Hendon has been jailed for wasting the time of the emergency services.

Jennifer Neenan, of Belle Vue Estate, regularly telephoned the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service threatening to stab herself in the stomach.

During two such calls she claimed she had cut herself with a knife and was bleeding heavily. On both occasions, paramedics and Barnet police officers attended and found the 51-year-old was drunk with just a minor cut.

Neenan was warned to stop making false calls but she continued to telephone the emergency services, saying she was going to stab herself.

At Willesden Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 13, she pleaded guilty to sending a false message and wasting police time.

She was sentenced to six weeks in prison for this offence with a subsequent 12 weeks imprisonment for breach of a suspended sentence order.

Police Sergeant Stephen Blundell, of the Barnet communication centre, said: "This woman's persistent false calls resulted in police and ambulances being diverted from those in genuine need.

“This case should be seen as a reminder that abuse of the 999 system may have serious consequences for those who misuse it.”