A nursery school worker sparked a major search of a Perthshire loch in freezing conditions for an overturned kayak by making a bizarre hoax 999 call.
Clair Frost, 35, denied sounding a false alarm from a landline at Killin nursery at Loch Tay but her “distinctive, higher-pitched, childlike” tones were identified by two colleagues and a police officer who had all known her for years.
Witnesses who listened to a recording of the emergency call also pointed out she referred to a “lock”, as Frost was known to pronounce “loch”.
Detective Constable Gavin Dingwall, who headed the police interview of Frost, said he was “stumped” as to why she had committed the offence.
Costly six-hour rescue operation
Stirling Sheriff Court heard the call was received by Scottish Fire and Rescue at 1.15 pm on January 17 this year.
The caller said they thought they could see an upside down kayak at the “head of the loch” but could not see if there was anyone in the water.
Police officers from as far as Stirling were sent to the scene on wintry, slushy, roads, with a fire engine, an ambulance and paramedic.
A helicopter was scrambled, while police checked lay-bys near the loch for vehicles from which a kayak could have been launched, as well as B&Bs and campsites in the area.
A joint emergency services meeting point was set up in the Killin Hotel, which also provided hot drinks.
The Scottish Fire Service was considering putting a boat out to search the “vast” and partially ice-covered loch – an operation which the court heard would have entailed its own risks – when officers began to suspect a hoax.
The search was stood down after six hours.
Caught due to distinctive voice
The call was traced to a fixed phone in a nappy-changing room at the Stirling Council-run nursery.
Initially police thought a child at the facility, which caters for 0-to-5-year-olds and does not actually have a view of the loch, might have been responsible.
Village police constable Iona Frickleton even sat down with the children and asked if any of them had used the phone that day.
PC Frickleton said she was then able to listen to a recording of the call and was “100% certain” the voice was that of Frost, who she had known for eight years.
A nappy changing log identified early years educator Frost had been in the relevant room at the time the call was made and after two other members of staff also identified her voice, she was arrested.
At Falkirk police station, Frost conceded her husband was a retained firefighter and had been called out as part of the search but denied any financial difficulty and denied he would have derived any financial benefit from the call-out.
After police played the recording to her, Frost conceded: “It does sound like me, I can’t say it doesn’t, but it’s not me.”
Prison warning
Frost, of Killin, a nursery worker for 15 years, denied making a false call to emergency services – a contravention of the 2005 Fire (Scotland) Act but did not give evidence in her trial.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan told Frost she found all the Crown witnesses wholly credible and reliable and she was guilty.
Deferring sentence until October 2 for reports, she warned Frost: “Notwithstanding that this is a first offence, it is a very serious one.
“The rescue operation launched as a direct result of this false call was a huge waste of manpower and resources and potentially put the public at risk.
“It’s only fair to give you warning that for those reasons I cannot exclude the possibility of a custodial sentence.”
A spokesman for Stirling Council said: “We note the decision of the court and won’t be providing any further comment at this time.”
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