A repeated mountain rescue faker struggled with dock officers after he was jailed for 16 months.

Caernarfon crown court heard helicopters flew to the aid of attention-seeking pizza deliverer Michael Cuminskey, aged 23, who had a background of neglect and lack of care in his childhood. His barrister Jonathan Austin said: "He’s someone who craves affection and some emotional support. He’s a troubled young man.”

Cuminskey, of Darlington, had pleaded guilty to causing a public nuisance on March 22 in the Lake District and three days later in 2016 at Llanberis in Snowdonia. The estimated cost of the coastguard rescue helicopter call-out in Snowdonia came to £33,000.

Brett Williamson, prosecuting, said Cuminskey had started behaving “irrationally” while climbing in the Vivian Quarry, Llanberis, and was found by a man at the bottom of a 130ft drop, with shallow breathing and claiming his back was painful.

Twenty Llanberis mountain rescue team volunteers were assembled but Cuminskey had been aggressive and when winched aboard the helicopter he tried to take a mobile phone “selfie.”

He was flown to Gwynedd Hospital at Bangor where he was uncooperative but said he was sorry for his actions.

Days earlier, North West ambulance service received a call that a 20-year-old man had fallen while walking in Cumbria. Keswick mountain rescuers were alerted and an air ambulance helicopter.

Mr Williamson said four team members set out for Thirlmere and reached Cuminskey at the foot of a rocky area wearing ski-goggles and with an ice axe next to him. “But it seemed items were placed neatly next to him,” counsel said.

The defendant claimed he was in pain and couldn’t feel his legs, and he was carried to the helicopter. But during the flight he was aggressive towards the crew, pulling at cables and being abusive. The aircraft was forced to land again and he was stretchered down the hill to an ambulance.

Mr Williamson explained :“Once at the hospital and while waiting to see the doctor, the defendant said he needed the toilet. He got off the stretcher and walked to the toilet. It’s believed following this he left the hospital. This was a staged accident. he was entirely uninjured.”

Cuminskey had previous convictions including for wearing a Royal Welsh Regiment military uniform and fraud. In July 2016 there was another pretend 60ft fall in the Scottish Borders when fire, police and ambulance services and Tweed Valley mountain rescuers were called out. The prosecutor said :”He said he didn’t tell the emergency services exactly where he was because it results in more people attending.”

He had cried and said emergency services were the only ones to be nice to him.

Cuminskey confessed to at least five similar hoaxes, two of them on Ben Nevis.

His barrister said :”He’s been a vulnerable child. He’s a vulnerable young man. He’s described in the psychiatric report as being of low cognitive ability.” But Mr Austin said there had been no repeat of his behaviour while on bail.

Judge Huw Rees told the defendant he should be “thoroughly ashamed.” He said:”This was a serious, persistent course of conduct with significant unnecessary loss of public money in circumstances where others, trained rescuers, were put at risk. Both the offences are examples of your blatant attention-seeking.”

He said only custody was appropriate but the prison service should be made aware of Cuminskey’s vulnerability.

Cuminskey protested “no” and “please judge” in a violent scene as attempts were made to remove him from the secure dock