Man Utd Fan Calls 999 After Red Card 'Crime'
6 March 2013, 13:52 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
A Man United fan rang Nottinghamshire Police last night because he thought the sending off of Reds player Nani during the Champions League was a crime.
The 18 year old was watching the second-leg tie against Real Madrid from a village near Bingham at around 9.20pm when he made the call.
He thought the ref's decision to dismiss the winger was disgusting but has now apologised for calling 999, saying he got caught up in the excitement.
'It's no joke'
Notts Police have told Capital while it seems amusing, it's an example of time wasting and stops them dealing with genuine emergencies.
Control Room Chief Inspector Ted Antill said:
"While this recent example may be amusing, it illustrates the sort of insincere calls we have to deal with on a daily basis in the Control Room.
"They waste our time and they direct us away from genuine victims of crime, particularly if we dispatch officers out to something that turns out to be a bogus report.
"I would ask people to think before picking up the phone for emergency services. I would also advise parents to ensure your children are aware that prank calls and the reporting of made-up crimes is a crime in itself.
"There may be people out there in real trouble who need our help and they have to wait because we are tied up with calls like this one, reporting a referee from the television.
"It’s no joke. In this case, the man realised his bad judgement and apologised and we decided not to pursue it further. But we can and we do prosecute people for wasting police time and making false reports."
