AAP General News (Australia)
12-04-2007
WA: Men charged over false distress calls
Two men have been charged with sending out false distress calls .. which triggered
a full scale air .. land .. and sea search for a supposedly sunken boat off Western Australia's
far north coast.
The Dampier Port Authority received the first mayday call on Sunday morning .. saying
five people were on board a boat that was on fire and sinking .. 78 nautical miles off
the coast.
Half an hour later a second call was made .. claiming the boat had sunk and all passengers
.. including a pregnant woman .. were in the water.
A search was sparked including local police .. water police .. a Royal Australian Navy
patrol boat and the police air wing .. but they failed to find anything.
After a tip off from locals .. police allege the calls were made from a boat parked
in the front of a house at Karratha.
Two Karratha men .. aged 18 and 24 .. have each been charged with one count of creating
a false belief regarding human safety.
They'll appear in the Karratha Magistrate's Court tomorrow.
Police are seeking 100-thousand dollars in costs associated with the search .. from the two men.
AAP RTV np/jec/tm
KEYWORD: BOAT (PERTH)
2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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