English Man Banned From Owning A Mobile Phone

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A 24-year old English man, Barry Docherty, has been banned for five years from owning a phone or even handling a device that contains a SIM card. This is after he habitually made prank phone calls to 999 (the English emergency phone number, 911 equivelent in the ‘States).

He made ‘hundreds’ of prank phone calls to the local police station via 999, including 50 in one hour. The Telegraph, who reported the story, didn’t say exactly what his problem was – a few prank calls is one thing, but this almost sounds like some kind of mental disorder.

Anyway, he’s been hit with a ASBO (anti-social behavior order)  that bans him from buying a phone for five years, or even handling a device with a SIM card (so he can’t make prank calls from a friend’s phone). He was jailed several times for his prank calls to 999, and if he violates his ASBO, be can be jailed again.

Hope he wasn’t keen on getting an iPad 3G then, as that will definitely have a SIM card. According to various Brits, the ASBOs aren’t actively enforced, so unless he’s caught for something else with a phone in his possession, he probably won’t get in trouble for it. He definitely shouldn’t make any more prank calls, though, but considering his track record, he may have an issue with that.