999 viewers see bogus Covid inspectors prey on vulnerable South Yorkshire pensioner

Cruel bogus Covid inspectors tricked their way into the home of a South Yorkshire pensioner, claiming they had come to disinfect her home from coronavirus.
By Darren Burke
Published 2nd Feb 2021, 20:25 BST
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Viewers of this week’s 999: What’s Your Emergency? saw officers Sgt Edward Darby and Pc Steve Inglis respond to the incident on the outskirts of Rotherham in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic last March.

The Channel 4 show features officers from South Yorkshire Police dealing with a wide variety of incidents from across the county.

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The programme saw the OAP the pair claimed they had been sent by the NHS to disinfect her house from Covid.

Police attend at the home of a South Yorkshire pensioner after a visit by hoax Covid inspectors.Police attend at the home of a South Yorkshire pensioner after a visit by hoax Covid inspectors.
Police attend at the home of a South Yorkshire pensioner after a visit by hoax Covid inspectors.

The hoaxers searched rooms in the house – but fortunately left empty handed.

Sgt Darby told the cameras: “You see the best and worst of people at times like this. It brings out both sides of the pandemic, those people who stick together and those people who are just selfish.”

It was revealed that police have been unable to trace the hoaxers.