Dubai: An elderly man has been accused of calling the telephone operator at the police operations room almost 1,000 times cursing whoever answered and playing music.
In response to the charges yesterday, 72-year-old Y.A, accused Dubai Police's Operations Room of disturbing him and he denied making the 999 calls before the Dubai Misdemeanor Court.
Prosecutors charged Y.A., an Emirati, with disturbing the authorities over the phone by calling the Operations Room phone operators 971 times and calling them bad names and playing music for them.
Accusation
When Presiding Judge Ebrahim Khalil Abu Shamma read out the charges against Y.A, the defendant held his ear in courtroom seven and shouted loudly: "What? What? I can't hear well [Ana asmakh]."
When the judge repeatedly read out the accusation and asked Y.A. if he had disturbed the Operation Room and cursed any phone operator who attended his call on 999, the suspect said: "No sir I did not disturb them… I did not call them. They called and disturbed me."
An Emirati policeman told prosecutors that Y.A. repeatedly phoned the Operation Room in the early morning hours and cursed whoever attended his calls and sometimes even played songs over the phone.
‘Dogs and animals'
"He called us time after time… we received his calls late evenings or early morning hours. He used to curse anyone who attended his call or to play music. Sometimes he remained silent. He called us dogs and animals and cursed our families. He dialled 999 from his mobile phone… when he called, we assumed from his tone that he could have been drunk or drugged," the policeman claimed to prosecutors.
Court records showed that the suspect called the 999 operator 971 times in one month.
Before Dubai Police arrested Y.A. and referred him to the Public Prosecution, the defendant was forced to sign an agreement stating that he wouldn't call 999 ever again. And the first time he breached the undertaking; police arrested him and forwarded him to justice.
During prosecution questioning, Y.A. admitted that he repeatedly dialled 999 but denied cursing those who answered him.
Mental strains
"I don't know why… but I used to be unaware of my actions and dial 999 immediately after I woke up. I used to converse with the operator about different subjects that I don't recall. Sometimes I used to play for them songs. I never cursed them," the elderly man claimed.
Y.A. told police interrogators: "I used to be under the effect of medication because I suffer mental strains and hearing impairment."
A verdict will be heard on November 22.
