A BOMB hoaxer who told police there were three incendiary devices hidden in Bournemouth and Christchurch has been jailed.

Heroin addict David Horn told a court that he was protesting the length of his detox programme when he contacted Dorset Police’s control room twice on the night of December 20.

Officers launched a search when the 53-year-old rang to say that there were two devices hidden in an undisclosed location in Bournemouth, and one in Saxon Square, which were set to explode at 9.30am the following morning.

Jason Spellman, prosecuting at Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court, said no devices were located, but Horn then called again to say that the bomb was in the Christchurch branch of WHSmith.

Call handlers were able to trace his number, and he was arrested at his home shortly before 6.30am on December 21.

Mr Spellman said the calls were “born out of protest” about a detox programme Horn was undertaking.

“By making those calls, [Horn] believed a judge would be so disgusted with him that he would be given a prison sentence and he would get a longer detox than the one he was already on,” he said.

After his arrest, Horn, of River Way in Christchurch, was further arrested for committing criminal damage.

“He smeared excrement and other bodily fluids along the interior wall of a cell and also urinated on the floor,” the prosecutor said.

Mitigating, Mark Proctor said the defendant had recently relapsed back into using heroin.

“This was a cry for help and [there was] no other malicious intent,” he said.

“He is at the point where if he remains at liberty, he will end up offending in order to feed his addiction.”

Horn, who admitted communicating false information and criminal damage, will be able to access detox services in prison immediately, the court heard.

He was sentenced to three months behind bars and ordered to pay £80 in costs.