Worthing Man Posed as Elderly Woman to Ask Police About ‘Cheesy Feet’ in Bizarre Hoax Calls

A man from Worthing has been sentenced after bombarding Sussex Police with dozens of hoax 101 calls to indulge in his foot fetish. Richard Cove, 49, of Boundary Road, Worthing, was found to have made more than 30 recorded non-emergency calls between June 2023 and September 2024, during which he posed as an elderly woman […]

A man from Worthing has been sentenced after bombarding Sussex Police with dozens of hoax 101 calls to indulge in his foot fetish.

Richard Cove, 49, of Boundary Road, Worthing, was found to have made more than 30 recorded non-emergency calls between June 2023 and September 2024, during which he posed as an elderly woman and attempted to manipulate call handlers into discussing feet.

Cove used fake female identities, including “Helen Cheeseman”, and would initiate calls under the pretence of trivial matters. He then steered the conversations toward asking personal questions such as the size of the call handler’s feet and attempted to get them to say phrases like “cheesy feet” and “smelly feet”.

On one occasion, he made 60 separate calls in a single day, each time withholding his number. Police were able to link the calls to Cove after he contacted specific departments and targeted a particular officer, helping identify him as the perpetrator.

In total, his inappropriate calls wasted over three hours of police time.

Cove was arrested and charged with malicious communications, and pleaded guilty at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 8 April. He returned for sentencing on Monday, 7 July, where he was handed:

• 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 24 months
• A five-year Criminal Behaviour Order, banning him from calling 999 unless in a genuine emergency
• A requirement to use his real name and not withhold his number
• A rule that all non-emergency contact must be made in person at a police station with valid ID
• 200 hours of unpaid work
• £85 in court costs

Investigating officer Rose Horan said:

“Our phone lines are open to help people in genuine need. A number of our staff reported strikingly similar calls from withheld numbers, which we linked to Richard Cove. He deliberately targeted female officers—some working in high-pressure roles dealing with sexual offences and online child abuse—to waste time and gain gratification through his fetish. This behaviour was a gross misuse of public resources.”