Spanish man arrested after calling emergency services almost 9,000 times to insult operators

A Spanish man who wasn't actually in any difficulty but phoned police and emergency services almost 9,000 times since 2019 has found himself in hot water after his harassing calls were traced back to him.

The 49-year-old from Oviedo in northwestern Spain was arrested last week after complaints from the 091 service, which processes all phone calls to the country's National Police, local media reported on Wednesday.

An investigation revealed that he had been constantly ringing up the emergency lines for more than two years “with the sole purpose of rebuking and insulting the operators,” the police said. The man was never in an emergency situation, the investigators pointed out.

A whopping 3,789 calls to the 091 line and a further 4,957 calls to the 112 emergency service were reportedly made from his telephone card during this period.

The operators had repeatedly told the obscene caller to stop occupying the emergency lines which are intended for people in need of urgent help, according to Spanish reports.

But the man apparently ignored those demands and now faces charges of serious disobedience. The offense can carry a punishment of three months to a year behind bars.

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