The mother of a nuisance caller, who cost the emergency services nearly £500,000 in wasted resources, says her daughter should be in a psychiatric unit getting the help she needs – not prison.

Sharna Dixon was last week jailed for two years after making more than 700 emergency calls, which left the coastguard alone with a bill of £350,000.

A police officer sent to help the 27-year-old during one call-out also ended up being pushed into a canal, off Halfway Road, Sheerness, suffering a broken wrist which required surgery.

But Sharna’s mum, Sharon, believes her daughter was let down by the mental health services.

She said Sharna first came to the attention of psychiatric teams when she was about 19 after she threw herself down some stairs and started to harm herself.

“If she got the help when we kept begging and begging for it, it wouldn’t have got to that,” Mrs Dixon said.

The 52-year-old, from Sheerness, said Sharna had been sectioned in the past due to suicide attempts, including at St Martin’s Hospital in Canterbury, when she was about 24.

“She was better when she was in that type of facility. Now she isn’t going to be getting the support she needs.

“It is a crime what she did, but she’s not a criminal – she’s a lost girl, she needs help, she’s been let down.

“We are ashamed of her actions but not of what Sharna is. Our Sharna is a broken girl who doesn’t even know in her own head what is going on.

“Yes I, her mum, and her dad are here to help as much as we can, but we’re not experts or miracle workers and we haven’t got the power to have a cure.”

The mother-of-five said after numerous suicide attempts and self-harming, the crisis team did little to help and would discharge Sharna straight away or after a day.

“Sharna’s got bipolar and a personality disorder. They should have sectioned her or put her in another hospital that could cater for her needs,” Mrs Dixon added.

“She should have been sent to a place to get the right help to get her on the right track, on the straight and narrow.

“If my family had the money, we would pay every penny back to all the services. Sharna just needs help.”

On the sentencing, Mrs Dixon disputed some of the claims made in court, including that she gave birth to a stillborn baby on a beach.

She said Sharna was placed under foster care when she was 16 because she became a danger to her sisters, and she was not an ex-student nurse, she in fact studied childcare at Minster College.

A Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership spokesman said: “We share a commitment with the police, ambulance and other services in our community to provide the right care to anyone in mental health crisis or distress. We know how difficult it can be living with mental ill health and by working together we can help make a difference.

“Unfortunately there are times when those in mental health distress do not feel able to engage or accept the care offered, however we continue to do all we can together to try to find a way to ensure the person is safe and cared for.

“To anyone who may feel they are having mental health difficulties, especially during these difficult times, there are a number of local resources available for mental health information and support. Life can get tough sometimes but talking can help.”

For more information, visit www.mhm.org.uk.

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