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Neil McArdle Jailed Over Wedding Bomb Hoax

Neil McArdle Jailed Over Wedding Bomb Hoax

A man who phoned in a bomb hoax on his wedding day because he had forgotten to book the register office has been jailed for 12 months.

Neil McArdle could not face telling his excited bride that the wedding could not take place, so decided on a drastic course of action.

The 36-year-old slipped out of his house, went to a phone box, disguised his voice and rang Liverpool Register Office, claiming: "This is not a hoax call.

"There's a bomb in St George's Hall and it will go off in 45 minutes."

Coming 11 days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the call sparked "terror" at the venue, which was quickly evacuated.

Bride Amy Williams was left standing outside in her wedding dress with the rest of the wedding party as emergency services raced to the venue.

However, McArdle's would-be in-laws were already suspicious, Liverpool Crown Court heard, and a row broke out with Miss Williams' sister telling a "flustered" McArdle: "You probably done the bomb scare yourself."

Police managed to trace the phone call and McArdle admitted to the hoax.

He pleaded guilty to a single charge of communicating false information with intent.

Charles Lander, defending, told the court: "If it was not so serious, the facts of this case have all the markings of a comedy."

He said the defendant had failed to go through the forms given to him to make sure the wedding was legal and would go ahead as planned.

And only the night before the big day did he notice a "checklist" of what needed to be done before their "dream day".

The court heard that Miss Williams has stood by McArdle and the couple are still together.