Bomb hoaxer granted prison wish

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/7219644.stm

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A man who made a hoax call about a bomb at a London railway station because he wanted to be jailed has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Thario Huniashi, 38, who had previously been in jail for similar offences, claimed that a device had been planted at Victoria station on 9 October 2007.

Southwark Crown Court heard that the terminus remained open.

Huniashi, of no fixed address, admitted one count of "communicating false information" at Thursday's hearing.

Call for help

Police traced the 999 call and a police van was sent to a phone box in nearby Vauxhall Bridge Road.

Huniashi told the first officer he saw: "I made the telephone call. There's no bomb. I just want to be banged up."

Prosecutor Anil Patani said: "It was a call for help."

Passing sentence, Judge James Wadsworth QC told Huniashi the public had to be protected "from your bomb hoaxing".