Hoax 111 call to divert police backfires

Pau Tapara (left) and Jevon Edwards are pictured at a wedding wearing shirts Edwards had stolen. The law caught up with Edwards after the 111 call. Photo / Supplied

Jevon Edwards had just been pulled over by a highway patrol officer near Hamilton when he came up with a ploy to get himself out of trouble.

Fearing that there were warrants out for his arrest, he'd be late for work or could be discovered driving in breach of his licence conditions, the 30-year-old dialled 111 on his mobile to divert the policeman.

"He just looked at us, smiled and said, 'Hey, watch this'," said his passenger and friend Pau Tapara. "He told 111 there was a big accident near Horotiu which looked pretty serious and they needed to send people there fast. We didn't think much of it at the time."

Within minutes, three police cars, two fire engines and an ambulance raced past them to the fictitious crash.

But the patrol officer stayed put and, suspecting Edwards had given false details, took him, Mr Tapara and his partner Donna Wilson to a nearby station.

Then Edwards' mobile phone, which was still in his pocket, started ringing. The call came from another police officer at the station wanting details of the "accident" he had just called in.

"The cop took Jevon's phone out of his pocket," said Mr Tapara, "and the policeman on the other end explained what had happened ... That's when the trouble really started.

"He wanted to know who'd made the call and looked at us and said, 'You're in a whole lot of trouble now'."

Edwards was arrested and appeared in the Hamilton District Court last week charged with using a telecommunications device and knowingly giving a fictitious message.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said that while the incident was "worth a chuckle", Edwards had caused a huge waste of resources and paid $1350 in reparations as punishment.

But the police had not finished with him. "As soon as he got home and walked inside, the cops grabbed him again," said Mr Tapara.

Edwards was arrested for stealing a pair of leather motorcycle pants, a pair of shoes, a Swiss Army Knife and two Kiwis rugby league jerseys in other incidents.

He pleaded guilty to shoplifting and was remanded in custody to appear in the Hamilton District Court on March 31 for sentencing.