AN Aberystwyth man breached an order banning him from contacting emergency services when he called police saying he was going to kill himself by walking into the sea.

Malcolm Roy Edwards, 49, pleaded guilty to breaching the criminal behaviour order which was imposed after he was convicted several times of making repeated nuisance calls to emergency services after he had been drinking.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said Edwards, of 26 Cambrian Street, had spoken to a police call handler at around 7.30pm after he called 999.

During the call, Edwards said he was feeling low and wanted to walk into the sea and die.

When the call handler asked where he was, Edwards said he was “on the pavement” but wouldn’t answer further questions from the call operator before Edwards ended the call.

The call operator managed to call Edwards back and he said that he could see officers from where he was on the prom. Ms Tench said those officers were PCSOs responding to a separate incident, but they kept talking to Edwards until other officers arrived.

When they did they tried getting Edwards to give his address, but he wouldn’t, but did tell officers he had been drinking and that he had seen the mental health crisis team that day.

However, when the officers tried to get Edwards to seek medical help, he refused.

Checks showed that Edwards was subject to the criminal behaviour order which he admitted he had breached.

Edwards told the officers that he hadn’t needed police assistance but had wanted to tell them he was planning to kill himself.

Ms Tench said the offence meant Edwards had breached a conditional discharge for being drunk and disorderly on 2 June when he shouted and swore at police officers after he was asked to leave a property.

Defence solicitor Alan Lewis said Edwards, who spent three days in custody after being arrested for the offence, had voluntarily referred himself to an alcohol counselling agency, realising that he needed to address his drinking.

He said Edwards had worked for 35 years as a refuse collector with Ceredigion Council but after an accident led to him having to leave the job he had hit a “downward spiral” that had led to him getting in trouble with the police.

Edwards was given a six-month community order with a requirement to take part in 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was fined £30 and will pay costs of £170.