Men convicted over 100 hoax 999 calls

Two men who made more than 100 hoax 999 calls, costing emergency services an estimated £100,000, have been convicted.

Zaynul Shaffi, 44, and Shahid Khan, 31, were found guilty of intentionally causing a public nuisance. Shaffi was jailed for three years at Birmingham Crown Court while Khan was deemed unfit to appear and will be sentenced at a later date.

West Midlands Police said the pair made 122 hoax calls across 78 days in 2024 and 2025, using different phones and disguising their voices to avoid detection.

The calls included false claims of serious crimes, such as shootings, murders and a baby being left on railway tracks.

Officers said the reports triggered major emergency responses, including firearms units, drones and a police helicopter.

In one incident, nearly 20 police vehicles and more than 30 officers were deployed after one of the men claimed a baby had been left on train tracks after discovering his wife was cheating on him.

Messages later showed the pair discussing the response and asking for video footage of the helicopter.

Shaffi, of Barrows Road, Birmingham, sent Khan a message saying: "Got the chopper [helicopter] out", with Khan, of Whichford Grove, then asking him to video it.

Det Sgt Ross Somerfield said after Tuesday's sentencing that the calls were "very serious and sinister" and diverted resources away from genuine emergencies.

"They seemed to have revelled in the attention," he said, adding that officers used digital techniques to link the calls and identify those responsible.

Ch Supt Sally Simpson said hoax calls were not victimless crimes.

"They can mean the difference between us getting to an emergency in time or not," she said.

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