Hoaxer's Emails Said Missing Loved Ones Were Dead

A man yesterday claimed a "moment of madness" led him to send hoax emails to friends and relatives of people missing in the tsunami disaster saying they were dead.

Christopher Pierson, 40, from Riskington, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of malicious communications and causing a public nuisance after sending some 35 emails to people searching for loved ones who had posted their details on the Sky News website.

Horseferry Road magistrates court in London heard that the emails purported to be from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Thailand and stated that the UK government "regretted to inform the victim that the missing person they were inquiring about was confirmed dead".

After police were alerted and inquiries made with internet service provider AOL, Pierson, a married father of two, was arrested. When interviewed by police he admitted being online at the time - the early hours of new year's eve - but had "no knowledge" of the emails. When police searched his computer a number of email accounts were found, including the one used to email stricken relatives.

Olive Assien, prosecuting, said Pierson remembered opening up email addresses of individuals who had left messages on the Sky service but could not remember typing up the email addresses himself.

She said Pierson was in a period of "personal crisis" and was apparently visibly upset during his interview. But she added: "Not all the 35 victims that had been emailed had been traced by the police and those efforts continue... some of the families may not realise these are false emails."

Ms Assien told the court that Pierson had been assessed by two mental health nurses but had been found not to have any problems.

Defence counsel Andrew McArthur said: "He said it was simply a moment of madness. He does remember sending emails, but he obviously wasn't in clear thought at the time." District judge Daphne Wickham said she would not grant bail because there was a "question of his own welfare" and given his emotional disturbance, there must be the likelihood of Pierson committing further offences.

He was remanded in custody until January 24 for the preparation of psychiatric reports, when he will be sentenced at Bow Street magistrates court in central London.

Following the hearing, Pierson blamed personal tragedy for prompting a "cry for help". He said in a statement: "I apologise to everyone I have hurt. If I could contact them all, I would.

"I apologise to them. It is a combination of some terrible things that have happened to me in the past 10 years.

"I lost my son in 1991. This is another tragedy. My eldest son for whom I am full-time carer nearly died on December 21... He was aged 12. My uncle died on December 20. I know this was a moment of madness, but I believe it was a cry for help."