A SERIAL offender under care support six days a week spent her unwatched Sundays getting drunk and hoax calling emergency services.

Dorothy Beveridge tanked up on vodka when recovery team Richmond Fellowship let her be on a Sunday. But she then amused herself by calling police and paramedics to her door saying she was in pain.

The 57-year-old verbally abused responders and struggled with them when they attended to check she was okay. Cops eventually had enough and arrested her.

Beveridge first made the call on October 28 last year. Fiscal Depute Ms Cunningham told Ayr Sheriff Court: “There was a phone call to 999 stating that a female was in pain, that call was disconnected.

“At approximately 3.30pm two police officers attended with paramedics at the locus who were met by the accused who appeared highly intoxicated standing and falling to the ground.

“The ambulance personnel tried to ascertain if the accused had any medical issues that required treatment but upon doing so she became abusive. She shouted and swore at police officers. She was asked to stop on a number of occasions. She failed to do so.

“At this point she was seated on a living room chair however she got up and began waving her hands and struggling with the police officers. Because of her behaviour she was arrested and taken to Ayr police office. It appears that one of the police officers received bruising and swelling to his left forearm.”

The nuisance struck again on May 5 this year where she made numerous calls to deprive the public of emergency services.

Ms Cunningham continued: “She stated that she needed help, however as she sounded highly intoxicated police were tasked with attending her home address to check on her welfare. They attended but she refused to engage with them or indeed answer the door.

“She thereafter contacted emergency services at 8.38pm.

“This time she requested ambulance and police and said she was unconscious and not breathing. Again they attended to check on her welfare and found that she was in bed and under the influence of alcohol. It was noted by those attending that she appeared to find the situation amusing. She was given verbal warnings and police then left.”

But within half an hour, Beveridge phoned again shouting she needed help before cancelling the call. This time officers arrived promptly and arrested her.

Ms Cunningham added: “She indicated that she was sorry and she would not do it again however police arrested her at that time.”

She was described as “no stranger to the court” by her solicitor Tony Currie as he remarked on her record which included jail terms for attacking nurses with a knife and for attacking police officers. Sheriff John Montgomery concurred stating that “she’s well known to the court.”

Mr Currie explained his client’s problems seem to arise when she is left alone on a Sunday. He told the court: “I don’t think it’s of any coincidence that both these matters separated by six months both happened on a Sunday.

“The background is Ms Beveridge receives significant support from the Richmond Fellowship, six days per week, the day they do not support her is a Sunday. She has, for a period of time now, found that difficult, no support or company and has abused vodka on Sundays over an extended period of time and that is the direct background to both of these matters.

“She is very apologetic and is petrified of going back into custody.”

However, Sheriff Montgomery decided against Beveridge returning to a cell and imposed a Restriction of Liberty Order instead but will only apply to Sundays. She must stay within her home address between 10am and 10pm every Sunday for six months.

Sheriff Montgomery told her: “This report perhaps not surprisingly is all about you and all of your problems, but I have to think about the wider community.

“I have to think about the abuse that you regularly dished out to emergency service responders. I have to give thought as well to the emergency services who responded unnecessarily to you, the rest of the community is deprived.

“What’s appropriate here is a custodial sentence. That’s what’s appropriate. That’s been tried in the past with you, it doesn’t seem to have made any difference. You should be absolutely ashamed of yourself.”