Announcement re deletion of Wig and Robe/Judge Flounce threads

[carrie (mumsnet)]

Dear mumsnetters,

We are now able to shed a bit more light as to what actually occurred re the Wig and Robe/Judge Flounce episode. We are pretty sure (having received a confession of as much) that, as some of you suspected, W&R/JF was a non-lawyer masquerading as a QC. Given this knowledge we have deleted the relevant postings and banned the user from the site.

If nothing else the whole business is a salutary reminder that you can never be completely sure that folks are who they say they are and neither should you necessarily completely trust the advice, especially "professional" advice, posted on mumsnet.

As a result of some concerns raised by you we are looking into making parts of the site, the swaps and weight loss clubs for example, something that operates via mumsnet HQ so that people's addresses are not being circulated. If anyone has any other suggestions then please [email protected] or post them here and we promise to consider them.

We?d also remind folks that when organising meet ups you should take the same precautions you would when meeting anyone from the net - make sure you meet in a public place and that others know where you are going.

Having said all that, it would be a shame if this relatively rare occurrence of someone pretending to be someone they are not changed the warm, supportive, welcoming and caring atmosphere on mumsnet - and we're confident that you won't let it!

Thanks for all the supportive and helpful emails we've received from so many of you.

Carrie, Rachel and Justine

Now I am seriously concerned about this, if adults can be taken in so easily what hope is there for children. Taking one lesson from this am now thinking should actively encourage my children from any chat rooms and do the same myself. Am sad because for many reasons MN has been so helpful now wondering if I could every be caught out and rely two heavily on MN and MN advice

NB His ID number is different on the earlier posts (only 5 digits).

That seals it: JF = Steve Schindler for sure.

It's very very common - I moderate an online community & we turf out on average 3-4 trolls a year - not counting the 'serial offenders' who WILL keep re-registering from public access computers in order to hide their ISPs...I came to the conclusion a while back that there's very little point even TRYING to understand these characters!

OK: Time for the conspiracy theorists to make an informed decision I think.
To find out who this troll really is, perhaps we should look at who stands to benefit from this whole debacle:
1.PPH and LegalBegle, who are now Heroines Of The Site.
2.The MN team - who prepared and cooked it up in order to boost post-Xmas ratings and lure back people who had made 'thou shalt not spend hours on MN' a NY resolution
(this one, in fact, comes from the mind of another well-loved MN-er, who claims to benefit from it herself by wearing a turquoise shell suit - but the details escape me so I won't out her for the time being)
4. The Knowhere site because it has boosted their hits no-end
3. Me, because it gives me an opportunity to use my favourite and most overused word - debacle.

Any others?

Message withdrawn

There was a photo of him on JF's website.

I think he does it because he's bald.

as In sean Connery bald or

Andy aka Matt Lucas bald

JanH: there's one where he accuses someone (with their address) of being a sexual abuser, and another where he claims some poor woman gave him a massage - with some extra 'hints'.
But no-one seems to recognise him, do they?
I think he is a troll on that site, too.
I mean, if I was a psycholgist touting for corporate businesss through my psycology website, I'd hardly risk my name being googled to those kinds of posts!
SO either a real Steve schindler exists, and his identity has been stolen by a really nasty troll, or he is a figment of someone's imagination and a complete fabrication.

lol @ flashingnose!

isnt there a register of psychologists somewhere?

Here is the rest of steve schindler's recent message on the knowhere site if you click on more

"I named and shamed her a while ago, in the Nottingham part of this site. Her little speciality is identity theft, including her own sisters - classy gal.

Anyway Katherine, what took you so long? Been slopping out again?"

Didn't someone say there WAS no Steve Schindler (or Jane) at that address?

I think the whole thing's a construct, judging by the amateurishness of the Steve Schindler website.

well it's too exhausting to try and keep up with these threads (part of my new years resolution to try and avoid MN as a way of avoiding housework!) but I will say this...

Hell clearly hath no fury like MN scorned.

He is clearly going to regret ever using THIS board for his perverse kicks...

If you need an extra pitchfork when it comes to the hunting down - I'll pitch in

Message withdrawn

another delightful one:

"Lost Knob by Steve Schindler (Member 37872) on 24-Jun-02
Has anyone found a loose knob? I was walking through the shopping mall last saturday and, when I went for a piss, I discovered my knob had fallen off. There is a reward for anyone finding my knob. She answers to the name of Tracy!"

Carrie, I have been reliably informed that there are 2 people, male and female, at that address with that surname. And that SS does have some sort of psych qualification.

Blu, I love the shell-suited one's conspiracy theory, MN will be grounds for divorce in this house soon!

Oh - maybe he is the computer nerd called Darren or Darrell and this is his revenge!

and there is an awful one in the Bulwell section f the knowhere site - which I am not going to post 27/5/02

If he's anything like the one it took us several months to shake off on another site, his RL consisted on making greasy advances to women at meet-ups, getting his face slapped & then using a variety of IDs to libel them online - this has rather the same whiff about it!

Ugh.

Theres a Katherine L Phillips and Stephen E Schindler living together at an address in Nottingham

What - right now????

Nice sleuthing, Jan! It's not exactly professional if this guy's for real, is it?

Thank God for Moondog's post or I'd be well and truly lost! Can't someone start a new thread with a nice summary at the start?!

According to the 2003 Electoral Roll