Man Released on Time Served for 911 Bomb Threat That Shut Down The Courts in January

The man who called in a hoax bomb scare that shut down the Dame Lois Browne-Evans Building on Court Street in January, to get out of a civil court hearing involving unpaid bills, was released on time already served in prison on remand on Friday.

Robert Somner, 36, spent month in jail waiting for this case, pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo said: “Hoax or no hoax, it’s serious. It caused damage. Financial damage and potentially other types of damage.”

But he said: “I am satisfied that, given the facts, your detention for the last month has been sufficient punishment for this matter. I suspect that it won’t happen again.”

Somner was scheduled to appear in court on January 9th. But instead of going to court that day, he called 911 from a pay phone, claiming there was a “bomb in the court building”.

The building was evacuated by police, in addition to Global House next door. Police tracked the source of the call, which was made from a pay phone near the city bus terminal.

He admitted an attempt to pervert the course of justice and making a false statement on January 10 and was remanded in custody for a social inquiry report.

He was subsequently released on time served.