UK/FILE: "Shameless" British fraudster jailed for selling fake bomb detectors

Record ID: 357654

  • Title: UK/FILE: "Shameless" British fraudster jailed for selling fake bomb detectors
  • Date: 3rd May 2013
  • Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FILE - JANUARY 23, 2010) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IRAQI SOLDIER MANNING CHECKPOINT IN CENTRAL BAGHDAD USING BOMB DETECTOR VEHICLES PASSING THROUGH POLICE-MANNED CHECKPOINT IN BAGHDAD POLICEMEN CHECKING VEHICLES WITH DEVICE
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, Iraq
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom Iraq
  • Topics: Crime,Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVAEGSZBNZR9FC2BCZDVJZDYMN5K
  • Story Text: A British businessman was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Thursday (May 2) after a judge described him as having "blood on his hands" for selling fake bomb detectors to Iraq and other countries and endangering lives for profit.
    James McCormick, 56, was convicted of fraud last week for selling equipment based on a 20 US dollar novelty machine for finding lost golf balls.
    McCormick made more than 40 million US dollars from sales in Iraq alone, British police said. His customers also included the United Nations.
    Judge Richard Hone said at London's Old Bailey court that McCormick had blood on his hands. Outside the court Detective Superintendent Nigel Rock of Avon and Somerset Police said McCormick had contributed to the death of innocent people.
    "McCormick practised a callous confidence trick, and he was satisfied from the evidence that in all probability McCormick's device contributed to serious injury and death in Iraq, to name one country," he said.
    The detectors were sold for up to 40,000 pounds (62,000 US dollars) each. But they had no working components and lacked any basis in science, the court heard.
    McCormick sold the hand-held "ADE 651" devices to countries at serious risk from bomb attacks such as Iraq, claiming they could detect explosives, drugs and other substances.
    Marketing material claimed items could be detected up to 0.6 miles (1 km) underground, at up to 3 miles away from the air and 100 feet (33 metres) under water.
    During his trial, McCormick said he had sold his detectors to police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and border control in Thailand.
    They were also sold in Niger and Georgia and between 2008 and 2010, Iraq bought 6,000 devices.
    McCormick, a former policeman and salesman from Somerset in southwestern England, maintained the detectors did work.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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