By Will Sturgeon, 4 January 2005 09:30
NEWS A British man has been arrested in London and charged with sending hoax emails to individuals telling them they had lost relatives in the tsunami disaster which caused devastation in coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and much of Southern Asia.
Father of two Christopher Pierson, 40, was arrested on 1 January and charged yesterday at Horseferry Magistrates court, where he pleaded guilty to sending more than 30 hoax emails which purported to be from the Foreign Office. Pierson now faces sentencing later this month.
Pierson appears to have harvested his email addresses from a message board hosted by broadcaster Sky where concerned friends and family members of people travelling in the affected areas could share information, leave contact details and post messages.
According to reports Pierson's emails stated: "The UK government regretted to inform the victim that the missing person they were inquiring about was confirmed dead."
The UK government has issued a statement saying no relatives will be contacted with such news via email.
Pierson's defence attributed the emails to "a moment of madness".
Many traditional lines of communication have been cut off because of power outages and damaged infrastructure and services.
For many, email has become the most reliable form of communication since the disaster. The mother of one holidaymaker travelling in Thailand, who was due in Phuket on 26 December, told silicon.com the family's first news came via email around midday on 28 December after their son had been unable to get in touch via telephone.
Many other email hoaxers, most notably spammers and those committing frauds such as the Nigerian 419 scam, prey upon any topical event to find a hook for their emails no matter how tasteless. For every genuine email circulating on the subject of the tsunami disaster there is likely to become a growing number of fraudulent and hoax mails. Already hoax emails asking for donations have been seen trying to scam money from those looking to donate. The first seen by silicon.com arrived as early as 27 December.
Donations to the tsunami appeal are being taken through the Disasters Emergency Committee website. Brendan Gormley, CEO of the DEC, said: "The DEC would urge people to donate online if they have the choice. All donations are of course welcome but online donations reach us immediately. There are more than 11,000 online donations an hour at present and we are hopeful that many additional millions of pounds will be donated in this manner."
Past disasters such as the 11 September attacks in the US have given rise to email hoaxes and scams and users are urged to be on the lookout for anything suspicious preying on the current crisis in Asia.
Comments
There are 34 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
no excuse for this disgusting act. He should be made to go out there and help clear up the thousands of poor dead people. See if he thinks it's funny then. What a sicko.
2. anonymous
Lock the SOB up, he needs to learn a lesson or too. What a lame excuse though "it was a moment of madness".
3. Santokh Ghai
A worst thing one can do in a worst global disaster in the history of mankind
4. anonymous
I'm sure his two children are proud of good old Dad now. He should be made to stand in front of the U.N. on TV, and apologize to the world for his thoughtless, cruel, disgusting and stupid act.
5. Dermot O'Grady
"a moment of madness". That is not an excuse. People involved in road rage and the like may have moments of madness. This situation does not qualify as he would have to actively send these emails over a period of a few minutes. What did he hope to achieve? Was there a scam involved?
6. anonymous
Any individual who acts in this outrageous, thoughtless manner should serve a custodial sentence.
7. anonymous
I will bet he gets off with a warning or £10 fine!! Make him go out there and clear away the poor souls. DON't let him get away with it!!
8. anonymous
Never trust any e-mail unless you KNOW where it's from, publicly flog those who find hoaxes amusing, they deserve to be in trouble (or worse).
9. anonymous
I personally know 4 people, two of whom are my family, who barely escaped from this disaster in Thailand and Sri Lanka with their lives. When we heard the news of the disaster we were unable to contact them because the mobile phone masts were down. It is not something anybody wants to experience.
When the whole world is pouring out compassion for the ten of thousands of victims it is incredible that this idiot is adding to the grief. I don't think it was a "moment of madness", he did it for so called "fun".
Lock him up.
10. anonymous
Make the punishment fit the crime. Short custodial sentence to shock him, then put him to work in a relief organisation. Shame we can't ship him to the affected area, or give the grieving relatives his home address.
11. anonymous
What he did was unforgiveable, and he should be punished.
BUT, there are now organised gangs of REAL criminals out there, preying on the new orphans and selling them into a live of vice and hooking them into drugs.
Judging from the level of punishment proposed for sending out emails, I would be interested to hear the views of previous posters on any potential punishment for the low life who are benefitting from this disaster.
12. Judi Drew
I was disgusted by this and don't believe it was just a 'moment of madness' it was quite deliberate and he should be made to pay for the suffeing he has made to people in this tragic time.
13. anonymous
THROW AWAY THE KEY!!!!!
14. Nilu
I am a Sri Lankan who escaped death by pure chance. I thank God for sparing not only my life, but the overwhelming and traumatic experience. I wonder if he is capable of understanding and sympathising with those who died and live in the trauma. He should be sent over here, to help the affected. That is the ONLY remedy for his 'Madness'.
15. Ruth Mc
I agree with the suggestion that he should be sent out to do relief work - then he'd see how 'funny' it all is. Adding to people's grief in this way is disgusting & dispicable!
16. david brearley
If the UK track record of sentencing is a guide then he will be fined £10, and set free. Later he will receive some sort of recompense for the distress that he has endured. Of course, in another world he would be given a shovel and sent out there to dig and clear up for a couple of years. "The moment of madness" will surely not be accepted as mitigation?
17. anonymous
When will the Dot.Com Co's of the world who delight in taking enormous profits from Email services, start to make more effort into defeating Fraud over the net. It can be done...and of course there will be the odd one or two clever dicks who can defeat any system...but at the moment anybody with 1/2 a brain..can commit crimes like fraud emails, and get away with it with ease. As for the sicko who sent the 30 emails...take him out there, and give him 30 days of hard labour clearing up duties...but of course we must respect his rights musn't we?!! The world has gone mad!!!
18. anonymous
As Dad's mad put him in a lunatic asylum.
As for mister cigar, we know where he should put it.
19. Hid S
He's a total and utter idiot, sure, but what do u charge him with?
If he's mentally unbalanced, then I guess u commit him to a mental hospital.
If he's just a total idiot, what can u charge him with and how long can u imprison him for?
If being a total idiot was a prisonable offence, 75% of the world would be in prison for an extremely long time...
Don't get me wrong, I think what he's done was more than just a MOMENT of madness and he's a total and utter horrible person. I just can't figure out how they will punish him.
20. Steve
We have people out there who have suffered great personal losses. There has not been a disaster this bad that has affected so many. I find it hard to believe that anyone could be so sick as to find amusement out of it and to send hoax emails in that way makes them the lowest form of life on the planet. He should definitely be sent out there to help... for a few years. See how his sense of humour is then!
21. anonymous
Not a moment's work to grab 30 email addresses, compose his msg and send. This was the work of an hour or more and a deliberately sadistic act rather than the email equivalent of a slip of the tongue. Lets hope the judge understands. Do they still have flogging on the Isle of Man?
22. anonymous
Nothing excuses this, irrospective of any personal problems he may have been going through at the time.
I think it's clear to everyone that the recent events have added a new perspective on life in general. Compared to many, our problems pale into insignificance.
I don't think locking him up is the answer (why should I have to pay for his stay at Her Majesty's pleasure)...they should get him on the phones helping to take donations or at least helping the aid effort in some way.
23. anonymous
As abhorent as I find find what this guy did, what is he actually charged with?
In the article it says he is charged with sending hoax emails. I was not aware that there is a law against this. I am willing to stand corrected.
24. anonymous
Perhaps the gentleman concerned should be made to serve community service in one of the areas hardest hit by the Tsunami. By seeing the suffering first hand he may think twice about repeating this appalling act in the future
25. anonymous
Sick though this act was, the man seems genuinely ill. It's telling that the man has not been given bail, not because he may abscond, but because he may harm himself.
I have a feeling he will probably end up detained in hospital for a reasonable period of time while he is treated.
This man is obviously very sick, and needs our sympathy as much as the victims of the tsunami.
26. anonymous
This man should not only be named and shamed but made to walk the streets of the Capital City with a display board around his neck stating the dastardly wicked deed he has portrayed and see what Public reaction he gets.
27. Lionel A Smith
I agree with all those who suggest that he should be sent out to do service in the stricken areas.
Providing of course that there is another parent who can look after the children and that the family does not suffer financially. A fine often deprives the family more than the culprit.
28. anonymous
Absolutely appalling. He should be flogged in public.
29. anonymous
People like this should fail to exist!!
and that goes for all the scumb who send mails asking for donations .... payable to their personal bank accounts. Its high time a strong example was made to those who are caught with these scams to show how unnaceptable this is and wont be tollerated by todays society
30. Tim Stannard
The Bankok prison might be an option.
We are all speaking with one voice here, the debate is what should we do with him?, not that we have any say in the matter, It's a shame that it is not possible to ban him from using a computer for a while,
SO, back to hanging, I guess.
31. anonymous
Some people dont deserve the privilidge we have!! Thousands of innocent deaths and jerks like this are still around to make a crisis into a sick twisted game!! I hope his poor kids never find out about this - I sure wouldn't want to see my dad as afraudulent hoaxing nobody!!
32. Anthony Hunt
Give him a long prison sentence to recover from his madness.
Or community service... ..in Thailand, Sri Lanka and so on.
33. anonymous
Wow, i agree that what this man has done was utterly distasteful and terribly wrong but what is all this call of flogging and throwing away the key?!! Surely thats abit strong?? Does the act of this man carry a written law against it? Id be interested to know. He should, as others have said, be put to some sort of helping so that he can become aware of his mistakes and will hopefully change the way he thinks but peoples ideas of punishing this man are way over the top. I wouldnt like you to be on my jury!!
34. Chin Kethya
Imprison him to serve his rights for his non-humanity to the victims of this grave natural catastrophe and that his two anklebiters will be delighted to see their heartless father going to gaol.