To feel sorry for the fake admiral

Someone who goes to such lengths to deceive and falsely impress others will not restrict such dishonest behaviour to “harmless” impersonation of accomplished military personnel; and others on this thread have already stated that they’ve come across him in real life and know of other instances of his strange and deceitful behaviour.

A friend of mine was ripped off financially and emotionally by someone who was claiming all sorts of military experience.

I don’t know the guy at all but agree with this. This type of deception is rarely a one-off.

Most likely there is a pattern of behaviour aimed at making the person appear more important than they are, usually for nefarious reasons. From Psychology Today;

• Advanced (deception) usually done by psychopaths and sociopaths. These deceptions are rather advanced in nature as they have practiced successfully on many others prior to the current deception. They are also highly skilled in reading body language and are quick to add their own minimization, rationalization, and justification in order to put their victim at ease.

So @MajesticWhine YABU to feel sorry for him. He knew what he was doing.

It’s the misrepresentation. It’s offensive and he’s impersonating being ex-military. Knowing that medals will confer a status and respect. Him wearing a DSO implies he’s undertaken a valourous act. It implies he’s seeking status and or approbation

They have to come down hard on him. If it looked like you could easily trick your way into military glory, respect and acceptance then nobody would want to go to the bother of killing people and risking their lives to actually win those medals for real.

No, I don't feel in the least sorry for him. Absolutely disgusted that he should present himself as any kind of veteran, let alone a recipient of the DSO, which is only one step down from a VC. He should be put on community service cleaning out sewers.

Agree it won't hurt anyone but it is an aspect of MI. He is a harmless old duffer who has already been publicly shamed.

So you don't understand hoarding. Fair enough. Her son clearly understood enough and knows he isn't a butterfly race 2nd place winner.

Does she know you're on here telling others about her mental health condition and home, and trying to conflate it with stolen valor Walter Mitty's parading around publicly?

She has collected categories for lives she isn't living. She knows this and isn't pretending anything. They represent something in life to her brain, but aren't meant to imply a thing to others, unlike the Walter Mitty chap.

She doesn't think or pretend she's a grand 19th C estate owner, because she has acquired 20 soup tureens. She doesn't think or pretend she has created Hygge or Stil in her cluttered home, because she has collected and kept every IKEA magazine.
She hasn't acquired and kept the out of date food because she believes it forms a feast.
She doesn't think or pretend her son has won sporting events because she has collected medals and trophies for him.

She has her own MH issues, but it is unfair and not the actions of a 'friend', allowed into her home, private life and disorder, to conflate her private HD behavior or her son's acceptance or possible own HD, with this individual publicly passing himself as someone he is not, let alone doing it publicly.

@glomofnit not the best response, love. Have another think about it 🍿

seems ironic he gets arrested whilst members of royal family swank around dressed as faux admirals colonels etc adorned with medals they’ve done bugger all for…

True story - many years ago the RAF yacht club (real organisation) was struggling for members. I am a sailor but I’ve never been in the RAF, however my mum and Dad both were. In order to fully
benefit from the Yacht clubs facilities and discounts etc - including very cheap accommodation in a rather nice club house on the Hamble - you needed an RAF number. My Dads number 4109173 - is indelibly printed on my brain even though he left the force in 1956!! So I told this to the registration bloke and he wrote it on the form, in the full knowledge that it was my dads number not
mine. When I signed in and out I did so with his number and my dads name Bill, with their full knowledge. So technically I suppose I was impersonating a military person!
niw ask me about the time I was asked to represent and wear the name badge of Sir Robin Knox Johnston at a reception at the British Ambassadors residence in Havannah !!! - strange true story for another time.

If your wearing someone elses medals they go on the other side.

And now that I think about it even ex military aren't allow to wear uniform. Harry and Andrew had civilian suits at the Queens funeral.

Oh, of course it’s different. He’s not going to be arranging deployment to nuclear submarines, is he?

On what legal grounds?!? This is a ridiculous overreaction! Surely you can look past his offensive cosplay and see that he's really troubled? Be the bigger person and ignore it.

How do you know he’s sad and/or unwell? He may have other motives eg personal gain,seek special treatment?. Reportedly a teacher from Cheltenham college

that's a silly comparison, sorry! If you impersonate a police officer then there are all manner of things you could do by exploiting the uniform and the public's belief that you're in the force. It really isn't harmless cosplay - unlike putting on an 'admiral's' uniform and getting found out really quickly. Similarly, fake medics have caused a lot of harm. What harm is being caused by pretending to be a retired veteran? It's tacky and I understand why many people are offended, but it is not going to HURT anyone.

Agreed.

As well as 'stolen valour' there's usually a strong element of 'perceived glamour' in how these people present themselves. Elite regiments, high ranks, gallantry medals, often a combination of these. They don't seem to grasp that such regiments are very small worlds and medal and service records can be checked.

While undoubtedly some of them will be doing this purely because of MH issues, I think a lot more are just fraudsters. The point is noone should be wearing a uniform or medals to which they are not entitled and that's not a difficult concept to grasp.

I agree - there are many murderers who don't get outed as much as he has been...social media has much to answer for.

I'm in agreement with him being arrested - he has committed a crime of wearing an official uniform, and rightly should be charged.

I think the reaction against him is overkill. He quite possibly has a MH condition or issues to have done something like this. And even if he hasn't - well, 'stolen valour' isn't a crime in this country, we're not in the US! What he's done is dishonest but - can't people just shrug and say, oh well, that's a bit pathetic, moving on....? It doesn't take anything away from genuine servicemen and women, how on earth could it? We KNOW he was a fraud, he was doing a bit of cosplay but a media pile-on is a real overreaction. It might even lead to him harming himself.

He's appears have commited an offence under some rather dated act with regard to wearing uniforms.

As for wearing somebody elses medals at event such as Remembrance Day parades; Yes family can, but they should be worn on the right breast - to signify they are not medals the wearer has earned themselves.

Stick them on the left, such as the false Admiral did, and the wearer is indicating they have earned them.

I read about this too. I thought it was morally wrong. But a criminal offence??Hmm not sure.

It may appear harmless and over the top but as others have said it’s no different to putting on a police uniform to walk the streets or a surgeons gown and attempting to step into a theatre to perform an op as ridiculous as it sounds.

Thats the point... there's a correct way to wear inherited medals. He wasn't... he was deliberately impersonating a rank he wasn't entitled wearing medals he wasn't entitled to in a way that was implying he did.

You wear inherited medals on the the opposite side.