London
A British man admitted this week that he sent fake death announcements to the families of British tourists missing in the tsunami. Christopher Pierson, 40, said that he was looking at a bulletin board site where people were asking for information about their relatives when a “moment of madness” came over him. He sent at least 35 of the posters e-mails purportedly from the Foreign Office, saying the British government “regrets to inform you that the missing person you were inquiring about has been confirmed dead.” Pierson has been charged with “malicious communication” and creating a public nuisance. The British government said it would never inform anyone of a death by e-mail.
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