Horror Hoaxer Busted: Man Jailed for Thousands of Fake 999 Calls
A Sussex man who bombarded police and ambulance services with nearly 2,000 fake calls has finally been locked up.
Threats, Abuse and Machete Menace
Paul Hennessy, 57, from Southwater Road, St Leonards, terrorised emergency workers between January 2021 and June 2022. During this time, he bombarded the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) with hoax calls, some made directly to frantic 999 operators.
His threats were chilling. Hennessy claimed he would attack ambulance staff at a Hastings Make Ready Centre with a machete. He even threatened to kill crews if they showed up at his home.
He didn’t stop there. Posing under fake names, Hennessy falsely reported medical emergencies, including pretending to be in cardiac arrest. And he bombarded police with false claims too—once tricking them into thinking he had been attacked by an unknown substance at his doorstep. On arrival, officers found no injury.
Court and Consequences
At Lewes Crown Court, Hennessy admitted two counts of sending threatening communications to cause distress under the Communications Act.
He landed a one-year jail sentence. The court heard the ambulance service had to shell out thousands for extra security to protect staff thanks to his threats.
Emergency Services Speak Out
PC Darren McCann said: “Hennessy has become notorious for making nuisance calls to emergency services. This has wasted valuable time on 999 calls where staff could have been tending genuine emergencies.
“His hoaxes led to paramedics and police being sent to fabricated incidents at his home, while he was frequently abusive and threatening to emergency workers.
“This behaviour is simply not acceptable. We’re glad the court has recognised the severity of these offences and hope he takes time to reflect on his actions in prison.”
SECAmb Security Manager Dave Monk added: “This individual put lives at risk and subjected staff to horrific abuse and fear — people who come to work to help others.
“Our staff deserve to care for the public without facing timewasting abuse. We work closely with police to hold such offenders to account and welcome the custodial sentence handed down.”
