A 40-year-old man pleaded guilty today to sending hoax e-mails to friends and relatives of people missing following the Asian tsunami.Christopher Pierson, 40, from Ruskington, Lincolnshire, appeared at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court in London charged with malicious communication and causing a public nuisance.
The e-mails were sent to people who placed appeals for information on the Sky News website. The messages, which claimed to be from the "Foreign Office Bureau" in Thailand, told them their loved ones were dead.
Pierson was initially arrested in Lincolnshire on New Year’s Eve in a joint operation between Scotland Yard and Lincolnshire Police. Computer equipment was also seized and the man was released on bail pending further inquiries. He was rearrested on Saturday night and taken to a central London police station for further questioning before being charged.
A police spokesman said at the weekend: "The Metropolitan Police Service would like to reassure the public that these messages are hoaxes. The British government would not use e-mail to convey news of the death of a loved one."
In a statement Sky News said: "As soon as Sky News online was alerted to the fact that a hoaxer had been e-mailing some of those who had posted messages, pretending to be a them. It also posted a story online to alert users."
Police said that for up to date information about friends, relatives and loved ones people should call the Foreign Office emergency number: 020 7008 0000.
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