Sussex Police nuisance hoaxer jailed for more than 400 calls
Patrick Matthews made 436 hoax calls to Sussex Police between October 2022 and April last year and 304 to Essex Police over the same timeframe. The calls, sometimes abusive and threatening in nature, did not require an emergency police response. On July 5 the 58-year-old from Eastbourne pleaded guilty to persistently making use of a public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety and was released on unconditional bail.
However by mid-afternoon the following day he had made a further 14 hoax calls to Sussex Police. Matthews was charged with the same offence and released on bail with the condition not to contact Sussex Police directly or indirectly, unless in a genuine emergency. However, he was further arrested on December 12 having breached his bail conditions, making 16 calls to Sussex Police the weekend prior.
Matthews was sentenced to eight weeks in prison at a hearing at Brighton[1] Magistrates' Court on December 13. Sarah-Louise Gliddon, persistent caller lead for Sussex Police, said: "For every genuine caller waiting to speak to us there may be a caller such as Matthews in front of them. "The volume and the frequency of Matthews' calls impacted the contact centre's ability to provide a service to the public, for people who genuinely needed police assistance or attendance while he was blocking the line.
"By continuing to monitor, visit and prosecute the most persistent hoax callers, demand on the force contact centre has reduced from 16,016 hoax calls in 2017 to 8,487 in 2022. "Since the work started in 2014, the force has tackled more than 750 individuals making such calls." Neighbourhood policing officer Chris Holmes said: "People call the police for help when they are most in need, expecting that officers can be there with them as soon as possible.
"Unnecessary and inappropriate use of police contact, on the phone or online, results in delays to this help.
"Just one call has a knock-on effect across many areas of policing, diverting vital resources away from vulnerable individuals who need assistance.
"Sussex Police will continue to tackle this issue and are committed to ensuring everyone who needs help, particularly during an emergency, is able to access it."