Jaspal Bajwa, aged 43, repeatedly called fire stations at Walsall, Bloxwich, Willenhall, Fallings Park, Tipton and Aston

A menace to fire stations who made more than 70 nuisance calls and issued ‘sexual requests’ to staff has been spared jail.

Jaspal Bajwa repeatedly pestered stations in the Black Country and turned up outside on occasion, despite a court order not to contact them unless it was a genuine emergency.

In addition the 43-year-old also made time-wasting calls to West Midlands Police and British Transport Police.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he has emotionally unstable personality disorder and had been abusing cocaine at the time.

But it was said he was now in supported accommodation and engaging well with workshops, which have seemingly prevented reoffending in recent months.

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Bajwa, of Wood Green Road, Wednesbury admitted three counts of breaching a restraining order and was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years on Monday, February 24.

He was also ordered to complete 35 days of rehabilitation activity and adhere to a further three-month electronically tagged curfew, having already been on one since his release from custody on remand last year.

Bajwa was made the subject of a five-year restraining order on November 2021 banning him from contacting the emergency services ‘unless there was a genuine emergency’, prosecutor Simon Rippon said.

That came following a conviction for menacing communications. But he went on to breach the order between July 18 to September 30 last year.

Bajwa repeatedly called fire stations in Aston, Fallings Park, Willenhall, Tipton, Walsall and Bloxwich as well as West Midlands Police and British Transport Police.

He used different numbers, some of which were recognised as being associated with him.

In a statement Darryll Darkin, station manager at West Midlands Fire Service, said: “Many of the calls went unanswered. They knew it was the defendant calling.

“But when they did answer it was clear there was no emergency.

“On occasion the defendant said a number of sexually inappropriate and unsettling things to the person who answered the phone.

“He made sexual requests that members of the fire service attend his address and engage in sexual acts.”

On one occasion Bajwa turned up at Walsall Fire Station, sat on the wall outside for two hours and knocked on the door for 90 minutes.

In another incident he attended Bloxwich Fire Station where staff kept him engaged on the intercom until police arrived to arrest him.

In interview Bajwa claimed he was a ‘persecuted Christian’ before he admitted he had been abusing drugs.

Mr Darkin stated the defendant’s behaviour had left staff concerned for their safety, pointing out it was not just firefighters who were based in the stations.

He explained that CCTV had to be installed and security had to be tightened while windows and doors were kept shut, all because of Bajwa.

Sophie Murray, defending, told the court her client had recently moved into supported accommodation where there was 24-hour monitoring and regular drug-testing.

She stated he had been ‘out of trouble’ since being granted bail in October last year and was now engaging with psychology therapy sessions.

Ms Murray said: “While the history is bad and we accept that, the prognosis for the future is very positive.

“If you look at the overall picture of Mr Bajwa’s mental health problems, he has had a breakdown then been diagnosed, then during this period of offending relapsed because he was using cocaine again.”

She argued he was mentally in a ‘much better place now’ and added: “This period of behaviour clearly has to be broken.

“When in crisis he ends up calling emergency services. Without the therapy he’s involved in you can medicate him until the end of time, it won’t change the pattern of behaviour he’s gotten into. Clearly he’s remorseful.”

Recorder Edward Boydell KC told Bajwa the fire brigade were there to ‘carry out an important public service which is not helped, indeed hindered, by having the worry of you as well’.

But he acknowledged he had turned things around ‘relatively quickly’ following release on bail, adding there was a ‘glimour of hope’ for him.

Recorder Boydell concluded: “You have made a good start. I intend to let you continue that to address issues you have obviously had which are long-standing. But stop ringing the fire brigade.”