A GERMAN woman has earned herself a criminal record for blowing a whistle down the phone so hard that it damaged a cold caller's hearing.

The 61-year-old resorted to the whistle after a stream of bothersome calls from marketing companies, German news website The Local reported.

Her high-pitched blast was so powerful it left a female call centre employee with hearing problems and tinnitus.

The whistler told a court in the western city of Pirmasens she had merely intended to deter future cold callers.

But a judge found her guilty of bodily harm and she agreed before a hearing overnight to pay a fine of €800 ($US1000), the website said.

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