Phone pest Kevin McEvilly, who made indecent calls to women over 23 years, has escaped a prison sentence.

Magistrates at Skipton told the 42-year-old former soldier they were considering a custodial sentence but decided instead to make a two-year probation order with psychiatric counselling.

McEvilly, of Shaw Close, Guiseley, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to four specimen charges of offences taking place in May, June and July last year.

The former army serviceman was finally trapped when one of his victims used the 1471 call-back facility on her phone.

At an earlier hearing the court heard the charges related to four women, one of whom was 75 years old, who all lived in the Cross Hills area.

Each was telephoned more than once and every time a man's voice asked questions relating to their underwear.

Prosecutor Mrs Stephanie Brown told the court the fourth woman tried to prolong the conversation with McEvilly to find out what she could about him and he began to relate a story.

The call was renewed later the same day and the nature of the call became more abusive.

Mrs Brown said: "These calls were disturbing in nature. It is right to say that when confronted, McEvilly fully accepted his responsibility and said he had been making the calls for a considerable period of time."

She added that McEvilly accepted it must have been upsetting and offensive to the women in question.

The bench read pre-sentence and psychiatric reports before hearing from McEvilly's solicitor Grahame Stowe. He urged magistrates not to imprison the defendant, who suffered from psychiatric problems.

Mr Stowe said: "McEvilly accepts responsibility for a course of action over a period of time but the 23 years ago harps back to the time he was in the army. This is not a man who is inherently evil. This is a man with a problem under the Mental Health Act."

Chairman of the bench, Dr Heather Beaumont, said the court regarded the offences as extremely serious and had considered a prison sentence.

But the bench believed the public would be best served if McEvilly was in a situation where his problems could be addressed.

In addition to the probation order the magistrates ordered McEvilly to serve 60 hours community service and pay prosecution costs of £50.

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