[Nemesis6]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22266051

James McCormick, 56, of Langport, Somerset, is said to have made £50m from sales and sold more than 6,000 in Iraq, the Old Bailey heard.

Police said the devices, modelled on a novelty golf ball finder, are still in use at some checkpoints.

One Iraqi bomb victim described him to the BBC as a "morally bankrupt" man.

Both civilians and armed forces personnel were put at significant risk”

Richard Whittam QC, for the prosecution, said: "The devices did not work and he knew they did not work."

McCormick had claimed the devices could bypass "all forms of concealment", detecting drugs and people along with explosives, the court heard.

He claimed they would work under water and from the air, and would track an object up to 1km (3280ft) below the ground.

The bomb detectors came with cards which were "programmed" to detect a wide array of substances, from ivory to $100 banknotes.

Other substances could be detected, it was claimed, if put in a jar with a sticker which would absorb its "vapours" and was then stuck on a card that would be read by the machine.

In reality, McCormick's device was based on $20 (£13) golf ball finders which he had purchased from the US and which had no working electronics.

Police said McCormick showed a complete disregard for the safety of those who used and relied upon the device for their own security and protection.

The court heard there was no evidence that McCormick had tried to sell the products to the Ministry of Defence.

And Iraq is still using these... Check out the Wikipedia entry on the device here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651

Especially check the "users" section. A little nugget from it: The former head of Iraq's interior ministry's counter-explosives unit defended the device, but was subsequently convicted of corruption charges, and of taking bribes from the fraudster McCormick, who also had 15 other members of the Iraqi government on his payroll. But the Iraqi army and Police are still using it... Allegedly, the device has been sold all kinds of agencies in India, Saudi Arabia, the U.N. The Israelis tested it in 2008 and "kicked it out of the country" after finding it useless. Nobody listens to the Jews though! 

[redsniper]

And seriously no one else tried testing this before installing it everywhere?

[BloodEagle]

You know, I have this great elixir that can cure any surface wound and regrow limbs in two minutes. 

How did people fall for this ****?

[An4ximandros]

Because it sounds so cool! How can something with the words "molecular detector" not work? It's Starship Troopers level tech right there!

[Lorric]

I don't know what the sentence is for something like this, but this vermin needs to be put away for the rest of his days, there's no telling how many will have died needlessly.

As for Iraq, would you expect someone to be so much of a scumbag as to sell fake bomb detectors? It sounds like he bribed some people to vouch for his phony detectors, so it's not as if they just took him at his word, their own people were saying the devices were good to go. The bribed ones need to be dealt with harshly as well.

[Nemesis6]

People did test it and find it to be nonsense, over 12 years ago. I'll let James Randi explain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruTmqfGJhTI

Specifically 3.28, but watch the whole thing, because James Randi is awesome, and he was instrumental at revealing the device as a fraud even back then.

Short version -- In 2002, a similar device was tested and found to be baloney. The FBI shut down the business. But it takes a turn for the worse: After they were shut down, the company just moved to the U.K and started all over again. Back then it was called the "Quadro Tracker", then when they moved to the U.K and they changed the device name to the "Mole". Same device, non of the "fraud" accusations, and they started all over again, with the exact same device with a new name. It's like the Blackwater thing -- Change name, all is forgotten.

[Klaustrophobia]

yeah, this guy is a ****head, but i lean more toward placing the blame for deaths on the officials that bought and used them.  especially if half of what the article reports as his sales pitch is true.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

[Nemesis6]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

Pff, make him serve his time at an Iraqi army checkpoint so he can use his awesome invention. If the irony doesn't kill him first, the carbombs will.

[Lorric]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

I don't imagine the life would be very long. Probably just die in 2 or 3 days of dehydration.

You know, I have this great elixir that can cure any surface wound and regrow limbs in two minutes. 

How did people fall for this ****?

Time to show what your miracle elixir can do, BloodEagle! 

And that btw is the name of another extremely nasty punishment, in this case an execution.

[Phantom Hoover]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

i think you're thinking of the princess bride

[Mongoose]

I was gonna say, that's "to the pain."

[FUBAR-BDHR]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

i think you're thinking of the princess bride

Actually I wasn't.  This was actual method of punishment used in varying degrees.     

[Phantom Hoover]

I think you're bluffing.

[Lorric]

They used to have a punishment that would fit this crime.  Can't remember what it was called but it basically involved cutting off the hands, feet, ears, nose, and tongue then gouging out the eyes.  The criminal was then left on the street penniless with a tin pan.  Some variants involved leaving the eyes or ears so the criminal could either see or hear the horror of the people that see him for the rest of his life.

i think you're thinking of the princess bride

Actually I wasn't.  This was actual method of punishment used in varying degrees.   

Who by?

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Romans used a version of it on priests.  Assyrians, and Saxons.  Chinese had a few versions but it was more of a slow execution method and in some cases included castration as well.  There are tales of it in Nordic lure.   It's also likely that the Greeks and Spanish used such methods due to Roman influence.  Of course Islam is still known for cutting of limbs and the whole eye for and eye thing so it doesn't take much of an imagination to put the 2 together. 

[redsniper]

I think you're bluffing.

It's possible, pig.

[BloodEagle]

I think you're bluffing.

It's possible, pig.

 

[karajorma]

As much as I love The Princess Bride, can we get back on topic please?

Spoiler:

I will ban anyone who replies to my post with "inconceivable"

[SpardaSon21]

A ban?  That's impossible to conceive.