Man made thousands of nuisance calls claiming his penis was stuck in household items

A man who made thousands of random nuisance calls on his mobile phone made some bizarre comments to his victims. Bachelor Gareth Owen Lloyd, 49, told those who answered that he had his penis stuck in various objects. He told one shocked woman that his penis was stuck in a jam jar and another that it was stuck in a vacuum cleaner. Lloyd also made silent calls. Flintshire Magistrates' Court at Mold heard how an extensive enquiry was launched to try and identify the nuisance caller. BT traced the number to an unregistered "pay-as-you-go" mobile phone so there was a danger of the trail going cold.

Then the police had a stroke of luck. The same number popped up on a mobile phone which a police high tec unit was analysing, giving them the defendant's contact details. He was arrested and his phone was found to have made about 5,800 calls in just over a two month period. But a number of complainants have never been identified. Those who were told of the upset and anxiety he had caused, said prosecutor Justin Espie. Apart from the silent calls, he had made comments of a sexual nature and told how his manhood was stuck in a variety of different objects. But he did not go into any explicit detail in terms of any sexual acts.



It was the prosecution case that there was a sexual element to it but felt that it did not meet the criteria for a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Mr Espie suggested that an order be made banning the defendant from having a pay-as-you go phone which could not be traced to him. Lloyd, of Bryn y Coed, Holywell, Wales, admitted three charges under the Telecommunications Act - making calls which caused annoyance, inconvenience and needless anxiety, and making calls which were grossly offensive. On arrest, he admitted making a number of calls. He claimed that he did it for a prank but that things got out of hand. He had not realised the anxiety that his calls would cause.

Phillip Marshall-Thomas, defending, said that while 5,800 calls had been made in February, March and April this year on the mobile phone, he was sure that the majority of them would have been perfectly innocent and within the legal boundaries. "He thought that he was having a bit of a joke," he said. "It was a joke in poor taste, perhaps a little perverted to say the least. My client apologises profusely for his behaviour." District judge Andrew Shaw placed him on a 12-month community order under which he will receive supervision. A 12-month order was also made that he must not use or own any mobile phone other than a contract phone where the provider would know and retain his personal details. The judge, who ordered him to pay £85 costs, said that the offences involved a very large number of victims.