Tuesday 26 April 2022

Threatening Caller: "I Don't Know If I Am Guilty Or Not"

A Derby man, currently locked-up in top-security HMP Belmarsh, told a court last week he does not know if he is guilty or not, despite previously admitting making threatening phone calls to his local constabulary.

Danesh Joshi, 49, appeared in custody at Inner London Crown Court, where he complained of suffering from memory loss and anxiety.

“I am at Belmarsh. I was at Thameside and somebody made an allegation about me that I was going to kill my probation officer, but did not take it forward.”

Previous offender Joshi, of Portland Street, Cavendish earlier pleaded guilty to making threatening phone calls to Derbyshire Police and persistently making use of a public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety on December 18, last year.

He admitted the offences when he appeared via videolink at Croydon Magistrates Court, where a charge of making threats to kill were dropped.

“I have been suffering from memory loss and it is a complicated situation,” he told Judge Freya Newbery from the dock.

“I am also suffering from anxiety and have not had my medication and realistically I don't know if I am guilty or not.”

Judge Newbery told Joshi: “These offences potentially cross the custody threshold,” and the court heard the maximum sentence is two years imprisonment.

“I married an individual who caused problems, blackmailed me and threatened to put me away for a very long time so I could not go to the police,” added Joshi.

“I have been removed from my own home, which is mortgaged and she is still there and I'm in London with life-sentence prisoners giving me bad advice.”

Joshi was not represented for his second Crown Court hearing and Judge Newbery told him: “You are an educated and articulate man. Why don't you press the Governor there to get a number for a solicitor?

“You don't want to leave this too long because you're in custody and you need to get a solicitor.”

Joshi was again remanded in custody until May 3 to obtain a legal representative.

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