A Hull resident was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 22 November for causing deliberate interference to amateur radio users in the Hull region of Humberside between June and November 2009.
The defendant was also convicted of unlawfully using radio equipment without a licence from Ofcom, which was installed in his van and driven around the region to interfere with legitimate users of the local amateur frequencies.
He was sentenced to:
- Four months imprisonment suspended for 18 months
- A curfew from 7pm and 7 am for 3 months via a means of electronic tagging
- Forfeiture of his van and radio transmitters, to Ofcom.
Commenting on the sentence, Paul Mercer, Head of enforcement at Ofcom, said:
“There are around 900 amateur radio users in and around the Hull area, who have been deliberately disrupted for more than four years.
Ofcom is very pleased with this result, which will hopefully give these users some welcome relief, as well as sending a very strong signal to those that abuse the airwaves. This followed a dedicated investigation by Ofcom involving six enforcement officers working day and night to bring the culprit to court.”
Mr Sheldon, the Court Recorder commended Ofcom for the quality of the evidence that had been collated and the quality of file presented in court.
RSGB General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW, said “RSGB volunteers co-operated closely with Ofcom in gathering evidence for this case. This conviction shows that deliberate interference will not be tolerated and can have serious consequences for the perpetrator.”
SYRG take a grim view of unlicensed operators on our repeater system and world-wide network. We actively work with OFCOM, RSGB, Internet Service Providers and with other radio hams to stop it.
Like others in our great hobby, we are pleased with the outcome of the courts decisions.
What do you think? Comment here>>
