TWINS who bombarded the emergency services control room with hundreds of abusive calls over the course of a year have been sentenced in the first case of its kind to be brought by the States police.
A police log stretching to 79 pages documented the more than 500 “appalling” and “disgraceful” calls made by Erin Robyn Bisson and Richard Anthony Bisson (48) from 2022 to the start of this year.
The calls included swearing and abusive language – referring to police officers as “dirty pigs” – and other obscene comments.
Richard Bisson also called the honorary police and made fun of an officer’s disability.
The pair also repeatedly abused officers in the street.
Both pleaded guilty to several offences relating to breaches of the Island’s telecommunications laws and were sentenced in the Royal Court yesterday.
Police chief Robin Smith, who sat in the public gallery for the case, said afterwards that he rarely attended Royal Court sentencings but had “made an exception for this case”.
“Throughout my 30-year career, I have not seen such disgraceful conduct directed towards police staff and police officers,” he added.
Crown Advocate Adam Harrison, prosecuting, described the calls as “unacceptable”, adding: “The police are there to protect the public, not to be abused.”
He called for the sentence to include a “clear deterrent” against future offending of this nature.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending Erin Bisson, said that the calls did not contain violent threats, and pointed out that her client acknowledged that the calls had impacted police operations.
She also said that Erin had battled “low mental health” and was “very remorseful for her actions”.
Defending Richard Bisson, Advocate Darry Robinson said his client had been struggling to receive “therapeutic assistance” for mental-health issues.
“This is a man who is very sick,” Advocate Robinson told the court.
He added that his client was also “very sorry” to both the States and honorary police as well as their support staff, stating he was “starting to understand the impact” of his behaviour.
Richard Bisson was jailed for one year, while Erin Bisson received 180 hours of community service and a one-year probation order.
Both were given a restraining order preventing them from contacting the police unless they were reporting a genuine emergency or crime.
Announcing the Jurats’ sentence, Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae, presiding, said: “The police do a difficult job and their main role is to protect the public. They should be treated with respect and this sort of abuse is clearly unwarranted.”
He cited a probation report describing Richard Bisson’s “lack of empathy” for those impacted by his behaviour and a “failure to take responsibility” for his offending.
He also highlighted the impact of his behaviour on the disabled honorary officer who had “spent many years serving the Island”.
Addressing Erin Bisson, he acknowledged she had “exhibited remorse” and that she accepted there was “no excuse” for her behaviour.
He described the offending as “unacceptable interference” with police operational effectivenesses and said the calls were “constant and abusive”, containing “foul” language.
Following the sentencing, Mr Smith said: “These two individuals wasted a significant amount of police time with their appalling behaviour.
“The calls were persistent and intentionally provoking. They distracted emergency service control centre staff when they could have been answering serious emergency calls from Islanders.”
He added: “During what has been a particularly demanding time for the States of Jersey Police, we have been unnecessarily distracted by this utterly selfish and offensive nonsense. All of our staff are dedicated public servants, who joined the job to keep our community safe.
“This is the first case of its kind to be brought to court by the States of Jersey Police and I must express my thanks to the Law Officer’s Department for their assistance and support.”
Jurats Elizabeth Anne Dulake and Michael Berry were sitting in court yesterday.
