Fake bomb detector husband jailed for three years

[Lite Beer]

Fake bomb detector husband jailed for three years

LONDON: -- A man who claimed plastic devices he made in his garden shed could detect bombs and find missing Madeleine McCann has been jailed.

Samuel Tree, 68, was sentenced to three and a half years while his wife Joan received 300 hours community work.

Their plastic Alpha 6 cost just a few pounds but sold for thousands.

The couple are the last of a group of fraudsters - who marketed their devices to governments and conflict zones around the world - to be jailed.

Sentencing them at London's Kingston Crown Court, judge Richard Marks QC described the scam as "a bizarre and fantastic proposition as to be almost akin to something out of Alice in Wonderland."

Police said they were driven by "personal greed" and were part of a criminal network worth £80m.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry says devices similar to the Trees' are still being used by police in the country
The Trees, of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, sold their worthless devices to an agent for £2,000 each, who then pitched them to other countries' authorities.

Their trial heard the devices were nothing more than plastic boxes with a free-rotating metal antenna.

Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29477894

-- BBC 2014-10-03

[Kerryd]

Looks like this is the same story as the other one: http://www.durhamtimes.co.uk/news/national/11513431.Man_jailed_for_fake_detectors_scam/

"The investigation uncovered a £1 million order by the Egyptian Government, while the Thai Government is believed to have paid £25,000 for a single device."

What amazes me is how many countries were so easily duped into buying such large amounts of these things, without apparently anyone actually testing them (properly) ! By the time the Canadian Forces buys anything, they've got libraries full of tech manuals, wiring specifications, repair procedures, training packages and so on.

It almost seems as if some of those countries would line up to give you 10s of millions just to buy a handful of magic beans (and I just happen to have a whole bag full of beans) !

[pookiki]

Hmmmm -- sounds familiar!

[Suriya4]

Alpha 6 is fake. The real and working model is GT200 as proven by khunying herself.

[MJP]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

[Woodsie888]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

The clowns that bought them are the people that should be in jail.

[12DrinkMore]

Looks like this is the same story as the other one: http://www.durhamtimes.co.uk/news/national/11513431.Man_jailed_for_fake_detectors_scam/

"The investigation uncovered a £1 million order by the Egyptian Government, while the Thai Government is believed to have paid £25,000 for a single device."

What amazes me is how many countries were so easily duped into buying such large amounts of these things, without apparently anyone actually testing them (properly) ! By the time the Canadian Forces buys anything, they've got libraries full of tech manuals, wiring specifications, repair procedures, training packages and so on.

It almost seems as if some of those countries would line up to give you 10s of millions just to buy a handful of magic beans (and I just happen to have a whole bag full of beans) !

It was not about duping, they were a nice big earner for all those involved in buying them.

[Ulic]

Everyone who bought the devices received big kick backs and was not concerned if the devices worked or not.

[12DrinkMore]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

Indeed, lives are being put at risk in Thailand everyday. From wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GT200#Thailand

"The GT200 is used extensively in Thailand.^[26] Reportedly, some 818 GT200 units were procured by Thai public bodies since 2004. These include 535 bought by the Royal Thai Army for use combating the South Thailand insurgency and another 222 for use in other areas, 50 purchased by the Royal Thai Police for use in Police Region 4 (Khon Kaen), six bought by the Central Institute of Forensic Science, six by the Customs Department, four by the Royal Thai Air Force and one by Chai Nat police.^[27] Other agencies such as the Border Patrol Police Bureau and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board use a similar device, the Alpha 6, procured from another company.^[26] According to the Bangkok Post, the Royal Thai Air Force first procured the GT200 to detect explosives and drugs at airports, followed by the army in 2006.^[28] According to Lt Gen Daopong Rattansuwan, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Army, each GT200 bought by the army cost 900,000 baht (£17,000/$27,000), rising to 1.2 million baht (£22,000/$36,000) if 21 "sensor cards" were included with it.^[26] In total, Thailand's government and security forces have spent between 800–900 million baht ($21 million) on the devices.^[29]"

Almost 1 Billion Baht wasted on rubbish, still being used because nobody wants to "lose face" and admit that they are wrong and have made a big mistake.

Pathetic.

Think of the poor soldiers in southern Thailand, who put their lives at risk with these useless boxes.

[Nemesis7]

Are you kidding me ? 3 years ? For putting people's life in danger? And for fraud? And for embazzlemeng ?

They should be changed for accessory to murder case.

Send them to Afgan jail.

[Farma]

I see a version of these still in use when I drive to work. It brings a smile to my face whenever I see it being used, and it gets used on a daily basis.

The ones i see must be an upmarket version as they have a black cable leading from the handle to a box normally shoved behind the guards bulletproof vest.

I haven't told the guards they're fake yet as I don't feel like being shot. The head gate guard has the privilege of wearing it. A bit of a status symbol.

[Pii Kate]

That's hysterical! One born every minute!

[scunner]

I can only hope that one day these fraudsters face true justice from the families of those killed by the bombs these empty containers let through, lord alone knows how many have died in Iraq, Afghanistan and Thailand because of these scumbags.

[bangon04]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

Indeed, lives are being put at risk in Thailand everyday. From wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GT200#Thailand

"The GT200 is used extensively in [/size]Thailand.[/size]^%5B26%5D Reportedly, some 818 GT200 units were procured by Thai public bodies since 2004. These include 535 bought by the Royal Thai Army for use combating the [/size]South Thailand insurgency and another 222 for use in other areas, 50 purchased by the Royal Thai Police for use in Police Region 4 ([/size]Khon Kaen), six bought by the Central Institute of Forensic Science, six by the Customs Department, four by the Royal Thai Air Force and one by [/size]Chai Nat police.[/size]^%5B27%5D Other agencies such as the Border Patrol Police Bureau and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board use a similar device, the [/size]Alpha 6, procured from another company.[/size]^%5B26%5D According to the [/size]Bangkok Post, the Royal Thai Air Force first procured the GT200 to detect explosives and drugs at airports, followed by the army in 2006.[/size]^%5B28%5D According to Lt Gen Daopong Rattansuwan, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the [/size]Royal Thai Army, each GT200 bought by the army cost 900,000 [/size]baht (£17,000/$27,000), rising to 1.2 million baht (£22,000/$36,000) if 21 "sensor cards" were included with it.[/size]^%5B26%5D In total, Thailand's government and security forces have spent between 800900 million baht ($21 million) on the devices.[/size]^%5B29%5D"

Almost 1 Billion Baht wasted on rubbish, still being used because nobody wants to "lose face" and admit that they are wrong and have made a big mistake.

Pathetic.

Think of the poor soldiers in southern Thailand, who put their lives at risk with these useless boxes.

as has been asked many times before... how do you translate the phrase "due diligence" into Thai?

[Seastallion]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

Yes. There is a difference between scamming large amounts of money for, say, time-share holidays and scamming money that very easily could result in many deaths.

Having said that, there does not appear to have been any security breaches as a result of these fake bomb detectors. Makes one wonder if fake or real, it makes no difference?

[Soutpeel]

These sentences simply aren't severe enough. Many lives were put at risk because of these fraudsters.

this maybe true, but shouldn't the governments who bought these have a degree of accountability ?....where was their due diligence ?

If due diligence was conducted, the government department who did it where either fools, or they had their hands in the till as well...

[uptheos]

Fakes in Thailand, who would have thought it?

Terrible crime, putting lives at risk.

Apparently the woman was seen mouthing to the judge "thank you very much" after sentencing.

Where do we get these ridiculous judges from and why doesn't the CPS appeal such a light sentence?

[dabhand]

Fakes in Thailand, who would have thought it?

Terrible crime, putting lives at risk.

Apparently the woman was seen mouthing to the judge "thank you very much" after sentencing.

Where do we get these ridiculous judges from and why doesn't the CPS appeal such a light sentence?

They are too busy kowtowing to the PC crowd on cases similar to that of the recent DLT case. No sense of proportion / accountability in UK justice nowadays.