A SOUTHAMPTON man demanded a ransom from police after claiming he had kidnapped an officer.

Robert Reynolds demanded cash from Hampshire Constabulary emergency call handlers as part of a kidnap hoax.

The 25-year-old also reported a fake stabbing and a domestic incident during the incident on January 3.

Now Reynolds is facing a possible prison sentence after pleading guilty to the offences at Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Reynolds admitted three counts of malicious communications - an offence which can carry a prison sentence of up to 15 weeks.

His sentencing was adjourned to be heard at Southampton Crown Court on January 29.

He will be held in custody until the next hearing having been recalled for a previous offence.

At his hearing at Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, Reynolds was also given a one week jail sentence for thefts in the Ocean Village area of the city.

The court heard Reynolds stole a remote allowing access to a private car park in Alexandra Wharf.

He also stole £25 in change from a BMW, a bag containing an iPad and other items from another vehicle, before attempting to steal a Mercedes C-Class.

The incidents all took place on on January 1 this year.

Reynolds, of Millbrook Road West, Southampton, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one count of attempted theft of a vehicle.

He was jailed for one week and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £122.

Reynolds has previously been jailed for repeatedly making emergency calls to police.

Last year, he was jailed at Southampton Magistrates' Court for calling 999 more than 40 times in 48 hours.

He also made threats which forced police to put armed units on standby.

The court heard Reynolds was high on butane gas at the time.

Reynolds pleaded guilty to one count of making threatening phone calls and one count of wasting police time.

District judge Peter Greenfield sentenced Reynolds to 24 weeks in prison.

Asked for a comment on nuisance calls to 999, Hampshire Constabulary's Operations Manager Laura Parsonage said: “We take nuisance 999 calls extremely seriously, as they take up valuable time that could be better spent talking to people in genuine need.

“Our Contact Management staff do a hugely important and demanding job, speaking to people who are often in very difficult, upsetting or dangerous situations.

“When their time is wasted, it is most frustrating. They come to work to help the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“I want to remind people just how vital it is not to make inappropriate emergency calls. You could be stopping someone who has a real emergency from getting through to our call handlers.”