A MAN convicted of making hoax bomb phone calls which led to a town centre being locked down by armed police last year is a convicted drug dealer, it has emerged.

Shamsul Islam, 23, was found guilty on three counts of communicating a bomb hoax at York Crown Court last week.

The court heard the calls were made as an act of revenge on staff at a Knaresborough takeaway and falsely claimed Islamic fundamentalists linked to the July 9 London bombings were using Paragon Pizza to build a bomb.

The jury heard how North Yorkshire Police sent teams of armed officers to the scene, shut off part of the town centre and ordered everyone to stay indoors, including children at a school in the area, arrested the innocent staff at the takeaway and searched them and the premises. The operation, which began mid-afternoon.

Islam, whom the prosecution described as a "pathological liar" pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by lying to police when stopped and dangerous driving the day after the hoaxes in a bid to get away from the police. He denied the bomb hoaxes.

After the jury at York Crown Court returned unanimous verdicts convicting Islam of making three bomb hoax calls, the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst revealed he is already serving a prison sentence for possessing heroin and cocaine with intent.

Now the 23-year-old, of Spencer Place, Leeds, faces an extra sentence of up to seven years for the two 999 calls and the one to Crimestoppers he made on October 16 last year.

Sentencing was adjourned until December 9, when Islam, already serving eight years in jail for the drug offences and other matters, will be sentenced alongside his brother Habibul, 22, of Spencer Place, who has admitted insurance fraud and perverting the course of justice by giving the police false car documents.