Man sentenced for Bedminster bomb hoax
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A man from Bedminster who called police and made a bomb hoax has been jailed.
Michael Casey, 40, called police from a convenience store in Bedminster at about 12.40pm on Sunday 9 October and claimed to have left three explosive devices at a nearby pub.
A 50m police cordon was put in place and an evacuation carried out while specialist teams searched the area.
Casey, of West Street, pleaded guilty to one count of bomb hoax – communicate false information back in October. He has also subsequently admitted a similar offence carried out while in prison in November.
He was sentenced for both offences today (Friday 2 June) at Bristol Crown Court to three years and four months in prison. Half will be served in prison with the remainder on licence.
Officer in the case DC Jordan Pearce said: “The incident in Bedminster had a significant impact on people and businesses that day and caused a great deal of stress.
“It was appropriate we took the threat seriously and that is why people from the pub and nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution. It took a number of hours for thorough searches of the pub, its grounds and Michael Casey’s home address to be carried out before we could declare the area was safe. During that time, officers searching for him tracked him down and made an arrest.
“His reckless and foolish actions resulted in a significant amount of police time and resources being diverted to this incident and he had no thought for other people who may have been in need of our help at the same time.”