Liar jailed for fake call that traumatised family

A man who left a family traumatised after a fake kidnapping report led to armed police raiding their home as they ate dinner has been jailed.

Ricki Kendall, 30, called 999 to say he had seen a man being bundled into a house at knifepoint in Newcastle last December, the city's crown court heard.

Police stormed the home and arrested four people, with some held for 15 hours, before it became clear Kendall's claim was a total lie.

He admitted perverting the course of justice and also robbing a taxi driver of £110 after a night out in August. He was jailed for four years and five months.

Kendall sparked a major response by Northumbria Police when he told them he had seen men in balaclavas, carrying machetes and dragging a person into a house on Denton Road on 30 December, prosecutor Omar Ahmad said.

However, inside was a family having dinner, with one of them opening the door to be confronted by armed police officers shouting at him to get down, the court heard.

Four people were arrested and officers trawled local CCTV to see if they could find footage of the alleged abduction, Mr Ahmad said.

Kendall maintained his claims when he was interviewed on 31 December but it soon became apparent his story had been "completely fabricated".

Northumbria Police said some 72 hours of police time were wasted and the falsehood had cost the force more than £4,000.

Those arrested said they had been traumatised by the lie and furniture had been damaged during the search.

While on bail for the fake 999 call, Kendall robbed a taxi driver, the court heard.

In the early hours of 16 August, he had been taken from a pub to his home in Valley View in Lamington, Newcastle, clocking up a bill of £16.

But instead of paying, Kendall pulled out a knife and demanded the driver hand over cash, with the man losing £110, the court heard.

In mitigation, Fiona Lamb said Kendall, who had a history of offences including violence and stalking, was "really sorry" and had had severe mental health difficulties.

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