A schizophrenic who impersonated a police officer and sparked a bomb scare, after forgetting to take his medication, has escaped a prison sentence.
Ivo Fernandes Da Conceicao said drinkers and diners in the Hampshire Hog, in King Street, Hammersmith, were seconds from death in a phone call to police.
But he was arrested at the scene when officers turned up to find the parked car was empty.
A court heard the 51-year-old, of Weltje Road, Hammersmith, was genuinely remorseful of his actions and had since been working with mental health experts and taking his medication correctly.
He had pleaded guilty to the bomb hoax on the day his trial was due to begin, and appeared at Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Friday (August 14), where he received a two-year conditional discharge.
Da Conceicao claimed to have found an improvised explosive device in a parked car outside the pub on March 29, and called 999 claiming to be a special constable and requesting a bomb disposal unit be sent.
Officers arriving at the scene and finding the car empty arrested him on the spot, but Da Conceicao continued to insist there was a bomb inside the vehicle and that he was a police officer.
His defence solicitor, Ben Holden, said De Conceicao had forgotten to take his medication that day and that the hoax call was not made out of malice.
Mr Holden also said the incident had frightened his client and that he had received “a sharp wake-up call and must take his medication when necessary”.
District Judge Susan Holdham told Da Conceicao: “This offence is a very serious one that people usually go to prison for.
“Saying there’s a bomb causes no end of distress to people... but I accept that this has been a frightening experience for you.”
