I have a new hero.
James McCormick guilty of selling fake bomb detectors
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.Much more, and pictures, at link.
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.
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During Tuesday's hearing at the Old Bailey in London, the court was told McCormick's detectors, which cost up to $40,000 (£27,000) each, were completely ineffectual and lacked any grounding in science.
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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.
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