….but how the bloody hell did he get away with it for so long?

A businessman who sold fake bomb detectors around the world has been jailed for seven years.

The devices made by Gary Bolton, 47, were simply boxes with handles and antennae, the Old Bailey heard.

The prosecution said he sold them for up to £10,000 each, claiming they could detect explosives. The trial heard the firm had a £3m annual turnover selling the homemade devices.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23768203

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23764636

Ahh, he’ll move into the cycling market next with business sense like that…..

how the bloody hell did he get away with it for so long?

There’s one born every minute…

Should have made him use his detectors to help HALO detect abandoned mines.

a case of bullshit baffles brains– but he must have had plenty of PR from military sources…..greasy palms …

+1 🙂

What he deserves is to be put in a position he was willing to enrich himself putting others in:

Drop him in a minefield with one of his own devices.

Instead he’ll be out in 3 and a half years, selling the concept of 675b wheels.

I think the sentence is insufficent, I’m sure I read that many people had been injured from bombs not being detected. Real nasty piece of work.

The last time I read up on this, I was shocked by how many people down the procurement line were “in” on the joke. Everybody who (really) should have known knew the bloody things didn’t work, but they got sold on anyway because uneducated folk waiting in cars at checkpoints the world over thought they did.

I think the sentence is insufficent

Agreed, and meant to put that caveat at the end of the OP.

Personally, I would prefer it if he was shot into the sun, and do wonder why they never went for corporate manslaughter or the like.

Yet we take pride in an armaments industry in the UK that willingly sells proper munitions to iffy regimes the world over.

Yet we take pride in an armaments industry in the UK that willingly sells proper munitions to iffy regimes the world over.

Which is why we need proper kit to remove them once they have finished playing with them.

The last time I read up on this, I was shocked by how many people down the procurement line were “in” on the joke

This.
Whilst the bloke needs to be locked up. It seems to be taking the focus off all the people who bought them. Who at the absolute very least should be sacked from whatever post they currently hold.

Said on the radio he’d made three million quid. In exchange for three years of your life inside, I’m tempted to go into business myself.

So, Cougar, I’ve got this piece of software which detects offensive posts (to include any threads started to slag off Top Gear) and can be set to zap them automatically. For an extra hundred thousand per copy, it can also auto-detect alternate log-ins…interested?

never ceases to amaze me how many people in companies (usually government bodies) purchase items with the utmost enthusiasm without doing due diligence, but then again if its not your own money…..

I think some Governments are still trying to cover up their incompetence in buying these things (were they not golf ball detectors?) that they are still claiming they actually work 😯

So, Cougar, I’ve got this piece of software which detects offensive posts (to include any threads started to slag off Top Gear) and can be set to zap them automatically. For an extra hundred thousand per copy, it can also auto-detect alternate log-ins…interested?

Nah, that’s what they pay me for.

Oh, wait.

(were they not golf ball detectors?)

No, that was another bloke – he made IIRC somewhere in the region of £50 million.

… the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the government’s trade arm, UKTI, gave promotional, diplomatic and financial backing to Bolton over several years even though a Home Office expert in bomb detection equipment found his device’s ability to detect explosives was no better than random …

Balls.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/20/government-fake-bomb-detectors-bolton

No better than random?!

Surely an empty box would be a lot worse than random ffs!

I think the bloke deserves a medal for showing up the tossers who are in power. People in glass houses and all that…

were they not golf ball detectors?)
No, that was another bloke – he made IIRC somewhere in the region of £50 million.

Yes he adapted the novelty gift [ which was a joke] to this

I think the bloke deserves a medal for showing up the tossers who are in power.

You are aware that people, innocent civilians as well, have died as a result of this device being sold…that is fair sticking it to the man eh DUUUUUUUDDDDDDDEEEEE

Ahh, he’ll move into the cycling market next with business sense like that…..

I already have, ladies and gentlemen allow me to present the latest thing… the 683.4 recurring wheel!!!

the recurring wheel, that should work well

Tom B – Member
No better than random?!

Surely an empty box would be a lot worse than random ffs!

I don’t think statistics works like that.

Beaten to it, no wonder he has gofasterstripes!

rudebwoy – Member

a case of bullshit baffles brains– but he must have had plenty of PR from military sources…..greasy palms … This has to be the essence of it surely – he’s not hoodwinking anyone with these boxes, as both sides are in on it. You’ve got a million pound military contract, I’ve got some dancing bullshit, let’s swap and we’ll both pocket the difference.

I’d imagine this sort of thing is not unheard of in military procurement, just not on quite the same egregious pish-taking level. At least some effort would normally be made to make the product look reasonable.

You are aware that people, innocent civilians as well, have died as a result of this device being sold.

and apparently over 100 people imprisoned because the device detected they had handled explosives.

Actually maybe that’s why they bought them, use them to imprison whoever you want, I’m surprised mi5 haven’t bought a load of them and headed straight down to the Guardians offices.

You’ve got a million pound military contract, I’ve got some dancing bullshit, let’s swap and we’ll both pocket the difference.
I’d imagine this sort of thing is not unheard of in military procurement,

I’d imagine it’s not unheard of in a hell of a lot of public money funded procurement

Both of the people mentioned are more than asshats. Annoyingly, having followed this story on and off for ?a couple of years?, I moved to Kettering recently and found out that I was just down the road from the the offices of Mr James McCormick, but just a little too late to go down there and raise merry hell.

Damn.

Man sells something that he knows doesn’t work – jail.

Lots of people promote and persuade people to buy them – nothing…

Anyone that trusts a scouser deserves all they get 😯

Man sells something that he knows doesn’t work – jail.

Lots of people promote and persuade people to buy them – nothing…

I think the difference is that this guy knowingly set out to sell people a product that doesn’t work – one that would most likely cost lives. Meanwhile, those who endorsed it probably just didn’t read the memo that day, and had no idea it didn’t work.

What’s the difference between this bloke and, say, a so-called psychic or organised religion? Both attempt to peddle complete bollocks in exchange for money.

Frankly, if you’re stupid enough to believe that this thing could detect bombs / drugs / people / magic beans etc you’re probably not a great loss to the human race if you get blown up. TIC since this did result in some tragic events, but serious questions need to be asked of senior managers across the world who signed off on the purchase of these things.

Prison sentence? Overkill IMHO.

Frankly, if you’re stupid enough to believe that this thing could detect bombs / drugs / people / magic beans etc you’re probably not a great loss to the human race if you get blown up.

Prison sentence? Overkill IMHO.

Really? Really? Is this **** Gary Bolton?

Frankly, if you’re stupid enough to believe that this thing could detect bombs

All you’d need to fool people is a couple of working versions for demo, surely

Prison sentence? Overkill IMHO.

too short IMO – I quite like the idea of forcing him to use one of his devices to negotiate a minefield
Or extradition to one of his customer nations

I work in Iraq and can tell you they’re still using them. They strip searched my vehicle the other day because one of them “went off”.

Dude – while the people who signed these purchases etc off were in the wrong, the guys who manufactured/peddled these things effectively wrote the death sentences for all those people who died as a result of missed detections. I mean, the “cancer-treating” faith healers are ******* low-ass scum, but this was utterly unforgivable.

It does, as you mention raise interesting questions about the other people involved in the chain of ***tard decisions. But much as the bombmaker ultimately bears significant responsibility for the people his bomb kills, [and surely should face legal penalties, including prison, depending on the outcome and intended outcome of the detonation of the device] in this case these devices were carefully marketed and promoted as a bomb/drug/baddie detector, and the Co/Staff involved went to some lengths to ensure they received money at the potential cost of peoples lives. And trust.

Trust being a big issue here too – the Iraqi Police and Military, those that are trying to restore peace and security to their country in the face of a series of terrible events, are being lied to and endangered, their ability to make accurate judgements impaired [the therefore the trust they are trying to establish within their own communities is undermined] AND they paid £50 Million + for the privilege – money that could have been well spent on something that may actually have benefited the Iraqi nation.

Asshats and scum, send ’em down.

And while we’re at it, other arms deals should be put under scrutiny. These principles should be enforced globally, and without prejudice or exemption. Yes, I know I have high hopes but I think it’s important to dream big, to have ideals.

What’s the difference between this bloke and, say, a so-called psychic or organised religion? Both attempt to peddle complete bollocks in exchange for money.

Big big difference, the others don’t do it with the endorsement of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the government’s trade arm, UKTI.