Griffiths claimed to have injured his ankle on Llandegla Moor. Photo: Espresso Addict CC-BY-SA-2.0

A man whose hoax call led to a night-time search by 11 volunteer mountain rescuers was handed a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay a total of £593.

Andrew Griffiths rang North Wales Police in May this year, claiming to be Neil Jones and suffering from an ankle injury on the moors near Llandegla in Denbighshire.

Police alerted North East Wales Search and Rescue, and team members began a search which extended into the night of 17 May.

Team spokeswoman Becky Waudby said: “The search which utilised 15 police officers, six police staff and 11 Newsar team members for over 91 cumulative hours at a cost of approximately £3,650 later transpired to be a hoax.

“When contacted by North Wales Police, Newsar first responders made an assessment on the information available and due to the person considered to be high risk, a decision was taken to call the team out.

“As further information came to light, concerns were raised about the validity of this information and the decision made to stand team members down. By this time, 11 Newsar volunteers had dedicated more than 38 person hours to the search, seven team members had made their own way to the callout in their own vehicles from different locations at their own expense, and three team vehicles were driven a total of 132 miles at a cost of just under £60 in fuel.

“As a voluntary organisation and registered charity, these costs are not reimbursed by any outside body and will be borne by the charity and the individuals who were involved.”

Prestatyn Magistrates sentenced Griffiths to four months’ prison, suspended for 12 months, for wasting police time. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £400 to North Wales Police and £100 to the North East Wales Search and Rescue team, costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £80.

Newsar team leader Chris Griffiths said: “As with all mountain rescue teams, Newsar is a voluntary organisation. Members attend training and callouts at their own cost, giving up many hours to provide an efficient and professional service to their communities.

“I am extremely proud of my team. Their commitment and willingness to turn out in any weather, at any time, is outstanding.

“It is therefore very frustrating when time and money is wasted on mindless hoax calls.

“I would urge everyone to think carefully about engaging any emergency service when it is really not necessary to do so. The consequences for someone in genuine need of urgent help could be dire”.

Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said: “The North Wales Police greatly appreciates the assistance that Newsar and other search teams provide to the force.

“This was a busy weekend and our staff were dealing with many different situations. It is disappointing that someone made such a hoax call and we felt it necessary to investigate the incident which has led to today’s hearing.”

Newsar has 52 volunteer members. The team helps those who are missing or in need of rescue in north-east Wales and neighbouring counties such as Cheshire and North Powys.

The team attends an average of 50 callouts a year. On average it costs Newsar about £20,000 a year to run the team which has to be found largely from public donations.