Worthing Magistrates' Court Sentencing Results

Michael Sweetman, of Allingham Place, Ovingdean, abused two kittens and killed one named Prince shortly after it came into his care. He was seen burying the deceased tabby kitten in a shoebox in his garden. Investigations revealed Prince had significant injuries including a fractured pelvis, possible rib fracture, and a fractured tail, determined to be from repetitive physical abuse rather than his claim of a fall into a toilet. A second kitten was found with a similar fractured tail vertebra, recovered in RSPCA care, and was rehomed.

Richard Cove, of Boundary Road, Worthing, made persistent nuisance calls to police on 101 between June 2023 and September 2024, pretending to be an elderly woman named 'Helen Cheeseman' to report trivial matters and ask call handlers personal questions about the size of their feet or to say phrases like 'cheesy feet' or 'smelly feet'. He made up to 60 calls in a single day from a withheld number, wasting more than three hours of police time and targeting female officers in departments dealing with serious offences. This behaviour was linked to his foot fetish, and he had previously been convicted of similar nuisance calls to 111.