JAILED: 999 terror hoax PC sentenced to seven years
A POLICE officer who sparked a nationwide terror alert by making a hoax 999 call to his own force has been jailed for seven years.
Amar Tasaddiq Hussain was jailed for seven years after his part in a hoax 999 call
PC Amar Tasaddiq Hussain sent West Midlands Police into “overdrive” after phoning through an anonymous warning that a terrorist with links to Syria was planning to kidnap a Muslim policeman.
Jailing Hussain at Stafford Crown Court, Judge Michael Chambers QC criticised the 29-year-old officer for showing no remorse and pleading not guilty in the face of overwhelming evidence.
A trial which ended earlier this month was told that Hussain and two other Birmingham men hoped the 999 call in 2014 would discredit an official at an Islamic community group they were members of.
It’s quite clear you abused your knowledge of the 999 system and police procedures for your own ends
Hussain, jobless Adil Bashir, 26, and 31-year-old tutor Muhammad Ali Sheikh, were all convicted of two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
The judge told Hussain – who was suspended on full pay after his arrest and faces dismissal at a hearing next month – that he had caused “chaos and anxiety” to his colleagues and “enormous” difficulties for his force.
The officer's phone call sent his police force into overdrive
A 31-year-old tutor named Muhammad Ali Sheikh was among those charged
The judge said: “It’s quite clear you abused your knowledge of the 999 system and police procedures for your own ends.
“It is also clear you were prepared to say any lie to avoid your guilt despite what was overwhelming evidence.”