Hoaxes and Impostors

Will and Guy's Hoaxes and Impostors

• Man won a medal
• Parrot gave a cheating girlfriend the bird
• Other Hoaxes

From the Times January 11th 2006

Main Story.

This man won a medal for rescuing people from a burning plane. Yesterday he admitted telling a pack of lies By Simon de Bruxelles and Lewis Smith FOR a year Nigel Gallimore was hailed as a hero for his daring rescue of two men from a blazing plane.

Yesterday the window cleaner was forced to admit in a coroner's court that he had lied about his exploits, having stolen his rescue story from the real rescuer who had preferred to keep his bravery quiet. Mr Gallimore, 41, now faces the ignominy of having to return his Queen's Commendation for Bravery, which was awarded after his boasts of a dramatic rescue.

In fact, he had arrived on the scene too late to do much more than help to move one of the badly burnt victims on to a grass verge. But he claimed in a statement and on television that he had helped them from the blazing wreckage seconds before the aircraft exploded in a ball of flame.

The real hero, Mike Winstanley, who risked his life to save the pilot and one of his passengers, called for Mr Gallimore to be stripped of the medal awarded by the Queen.

Mr Winstanley, a former corporal in the Royal Green Jackets, dived into the flames without a thought for his own safety when the light aircraft crashed soon after taking off from Bournemouth International Airport in 2004.

At the inquest into the death of a third man on the plane Mr Gallimore admitted that he had ' embellished' the account, which appeared on local television and in the local press. He had repeated his tale in a statement to the Air Accident Investigation Branch, which led to him being awarded the highest award available to civilians after the George Medal.

At the inquest on Andrew Anderson, 41, a financial adviser who was on his way to an air show with friends from Guernsey, Mr Gallimore admitted: 'In the heat of the moment I probably said things that didn't happen.'

Mr Winstanley, who also attended the inquest at Bournemouth Town Hall, said: 'If he was decent, he would have handed the award back. I am not saying I am a hero or that I deserve an award, but I was in the right place at the right time and just did what any normal person would do. The police have statements from witnesses and they all confirm that I did it.'

According to Mr Winstanley, Mr Gallimore, who had been at an amusement park with his wife and child, arrived after the survivors had been rescued from the wreckage. The men whose lives Mr Winstanley helped to save — Rob Le Page, the pilot, and Dave Bougard, a passenger — were both on fire when he helped them from the crash and he beat out the flames with his hands.

The coroner asked Mr Winstanley whether anyone else helped him. 'No one,' he replied.

The story of the rescue almost exactly mirrors the plot of Accidental Hero, the 1992 film in which Dustin Hoffman rescues passengers from a crashed airliner only to see Andy Garcia claim the credit — and a $1 million reward.

In his summing up Sheriff Payne, the Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset Coroner, made no mention of Mr Gallimore's admission, but he said: 'This has been slightly unusual in some aspects. I will not comment any further.'

Last night Mr Gallimore insisted that he did deserve the award and would not be handing it back. He said that the contradictory statements were the result of him forgetting some of the details of what had happened. However, he admitted exaggerating his role.' It was a little bit embellished but I did go to help, 'he said.'I am not bothered about what has been said. I felt a bit guilty but I did help.

I told the people who gave out the medal that others should have got them and I only went because my name was put forward.'

A spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office, which is responsible for the Queen's Commendations, said the award could be taken back. She said: 'Forfeiture may be considered if evidence on which an award is given turns out not to be true.'

Dorset Police are considering investigating Mr Gallimore's original claims.

A verdict of accidental death was returned on Mr Anderson

How Ziggy the indiscreet parrot gave a cheating girlfriend the bird  - Times 17th January 2006

By Alan Hamilton
When the African grey said: 'I love you Gary' in his partner's voice, Chris Taylor became suspicious. When Chris Taylor's best friend repeatedly mentioned the name Gary, his suspicions were aroused. He didn't know a Gary.

And, when the best friend made slurpy kissing noises every time he heard the name Gary on television, Chris wondered if Ziggy was trying to tell him something about some other pretty boy. The penny dropped when, one romantic evening as Mr Taylor cuddled his girlfriend Suzy Collins on the sofa, Ziggy blurted out: 'I love you, Gary.'

What gave the game away was that Ziggy spoke the fatal phrase in Ms Collins's voice. Even by the standards of African grey parrots, Ziggy is a mimic and a half, and from his cage in the corner he had heard every bill and coo of a secret love affair.

A chill ran down Mr Taylor's spine. He turned to Suzy, whose cheeks had flushed to beetroot. As she dissolved in tears she was forced to admit to a month-long fling with Gary, some of their intimacies conducted in Mr Taylor's home while he was out at work, but Ziggy wasn't . She could not deny it; every time her mobile phone had rung, Ziggy had piped up in perfect imitation of her: 'Hiya Gary.'

Feathers flew, the relationship was over, and Ms Collins, 25, a call-centre worker, was sent packing that very night from the house in Headingley, Leeds, she had shared with man and bird for a year. That was sad enough, but what is even more heartbreaking is that Mr Taylor has had to part with Ziggy. Hearing the bird constantly squawking the hated name of Gary in the voice of an ex-girlfriend was just too much.

Ziggy has found a new home thanks to the good offices of a local parrot dealer; Mr Taylor, 30, a computer programmer, is adjusting to life on his own.'I wasn't sorry to see the back of Suzy after what she did, but it really broke my heart to let Ziggy go, 'he said yesterday.

'I love him to bits and I really miss having him around, but it was torture hearing him repeat that name over and over again.'

He believes Ziggy was looking after his master's interests as the bird never really took to Ms Collins, nor she to him. It might have been jealousy, which can flare so easily in a household of two males and one female.

'Ziggy was one in a million; he was a loyal friend, and I have no doubt he was looking out for me, 'Mr Taylor said.

The bird was nothing if not multi-talented. He was, according to his former master, a better impressionist than Alistair McGowan, who could exactly imitate Chris's friends, copy voices from television and radio, and do convincing impersonations of the doorbell, microwave and alarm clock.

Mr Taylor acquired him as a chick eight years ago and named him after the David Bowie character, Ziggy Stardust. He taught the bird to dance while it sang: 'Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.'

Ms Collins, who is staying with friends, admitted her fling yesterday but refused to identify Gary.

'I'm not proud of what I did but I'm sure Chris would be the first to admit we were having problems. We had spoken about splitting up several times and I think it was inevitable.'

She added: 'I'm surprised to hear he's got rid of that bloody bird; he spent more time talking to it than he did to me. I couldn't stand Ziggy, and it looks now the feeling was mutual.'

Not, in her view, a pretty boy, then.

Other Hoaxes

Bruce Cotta, claimed to have won the Distinguished Service Cross during the Vietnam War. A post office on Rhode Island was named after him. However it came to light, that Cotta bought the medal on the internet.   The honour was rescinded and the post office renamed.

Tom Carew, who sold 50,000 books of his account of service with the SAS in Afghanistan, was actually Philip Sessarego who failed selection for the service.

Ged Slater from Newcastle was jailed for 3½ years after putting flashing lights on his car and dressing as a paramedic in order to conduct intimate examinations of women involved in accidents.

New York fire chief Richard Picciotto claimed he rescued a woman in the World Trade Centre on 9/11. He actually fabricated his story from the statements of real rescuers

Footnote:
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