This entry was posted on
Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at
12:12 pm and is filed
under Old Media.
Dear Rebekah,
I am writing to you about the ‘terror expert’ Glen Jenvey (aka ‘Richard Tims’) and his associate Michael Starkey.
In January, you published a story (for which Jenvey was the primary source) in which it was claimed that a number of celebrities had been targeted by extremists.
Evidence later emerged suggesting that it was Jenvey himself, posing as a radical Muslim, who had posted the relevant forum messages and named these celebrities as ‘targets’.
No doubt you are already aware that the PCC has since launched an investigation, and one of the celebrities named (Alan Sugar), has announced that he is taking legal action.
I’ve been looking into it myself, and I’ve uncovered further evidence proving Jenvey to be a fraud, a liar and a fantasist (first link is a summary if you can’t be bothered with evidence/depth):
http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/obsession-pundit-in-meltdown/
http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/patrick-mercer-mp-makes-statement-on-glen-jenvey/
https://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2009/03/michael_starkey.asp
https://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2009/03/glen_jenvey_audio.aspKeeping in mind that Glen Jenvey’s response to all of this has been to (a) declare that the PCC is in league with extremists and (b) claim that I am a notorious sex criminal…
– Could you (please) get back to me with a statement about the reliability of Glen Jenvey’s claims and if you still regard him to be a credible source?
– Could you also (pretty please) provide me with a complete list of stories on extremism or terrorism that are based in whole or in part on claims made, evidence presented or research conducted by Glen Jenvey (or Michael Starkey or a ‘Richard Tims’)? I’ve included a link to what I suspect to be a recent example:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2339480.eceThere’s no big rush with the list, but if you could issue that statement immediately/today, I’d greatly appreciate it.
Cheers
Tim Ireland
www.bloggerheads.comPS – Speaking as someone who is known for bringing greater tolerance and understanding of homosexuals to the pages of your newspaper, what is your opinion of Glen Jenvey (presumably as a tactic of flushing out supporters) altering a man’s Wikipedia entry to falsely claim “His wife left him when she found out he was Gay in 2008”? Is this a tactic that you approve of?