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Drunk teenager's White House bomb hoax call
A DRUNKEN Sheffield teenager sparked an international anti-terror operation by ringing the White House and making a hoax bomb threat.
Thomas Ashley Hutchinson claimed there was a bomb in New York's Madison Square Gardens - prompting an investigation by the FBI, CIA and West Yorkshire Police's counter terrorism unit.
The 19-year-old, of Durlston Crescent, Gleadless, and his pals had been drinking at a barbecue in Sheffield and were passing a mobile phone around.
After failing to get a number for a local pizza delivery company from directory enquiries they managed to get the number for the White House and Hutchinson made the prank call.
Sheffield Magistrates' Court heard Hutchinson spoke to White House switchboard operator Jane Sasson and told her there was a bomb in Madison Square Gardens.
Stephen Acaster, prosecuting said: "It was about 7pm in the United States and 12.30am our time on Saturday May 9 2008 when a call was received by the White House in Washington DC, America.
"Operator Jane Sasson said she noticed the number had a UK code and a male voice swore and said: 'There's a bomb in Madison Square Gardens'.
"In accordance with instructions she pressed a button on the phone which was a malicious call trace.
"It was transferred to a secret service agent who was able to listen in and take the call."
In a statement read to the court Ms Sasson, herself a New Yorker, said she was "angry and frightened".
She said: "I was emotionally and psychologically affected and thought of 9/11 again."
Mr Acaster said the CIA were contacted along with the FBI in New York and the British authorities and the call was traced back to Jack Thickett, a friend of Hutchinson's, who had been at the barbecue.
It took under four hours to establish the call was a hoax.
Hutchinson was arrested at the University of Sheffield Arts Tower on May 15 by officers from West Yorkshire Police's counter terrorism unit.
He initially denied making the call but yesterday entered a guilty plea.
Mr Acaster said the investigation had taken 150 hours of UK police time.
Geoff Flemming, defending, said: "It was a drunken episode by a 17-year-old. Five days later there was a knock on the door by a police officer whose title had the word 'terrorism' in it.
"He has had 14 months of continuous anxiety arising out of a breathtakingly stupid telephone call that lasted less than a minute."
He said Hutchinson, who works for an electrical contractor, was described as "polite and helpful" by his employer.
Mr Flemming added he had no previous convictions and was a "good young man with a bright future".
District judge Tony Browne adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and said "This is a case where a thoughtless joke has caused a very extreme reaction from the Americans who are particularly sensitive to threats of bombs in New York City, for reasons everybody well understands."
He warned Hutchinson all sentencing options were open.
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