A MAN LEADING A WALTER MITTY STYLE FANTASY LIFE DU

A MAN LEADING A WALTER MITTY STYLE FANTASY LIFE DUPED
THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN LONDON INTO BELIEVING THERE WERE PLOTS
TO ASSASINATE AND KIDNAP U.

S.

OFFICIALS.

THE TRICKSTER, 23-YEAR-OLD ADAM LUNARDI, IS ALREADY WELL
-KNOWN TO FLEET STREET AS DARREN HEARSON, WHO IN THE PAST HAS
TRICKED BOTH PRESS AND TELEVISION WITH HIS WILD DECEPTIONS.

ON THIS OCCASION HE CONVINCED THE U.

S.

EMBASSY THAT HE
WAS INVOLVED WITH PLOTS TO KILL A U.

S.

OFFICIAL IN LONDON, AND
KIDNAP AN OFFICIAL’S SON IN BRUSSELS, SOUTHWARK CROWN COURT
HEARD.

MR DAVID STANTON, PROSECUTING, SAID LUNARDI PHONED
SECURITY OFFICER MR GEOFFREY BOZWORTH ‘WITH DETAILS OF A PLOT TO
ASSASINATE A U.

S.

EMBASSY OFFICIAL.

‘
HE NAMED THE TARGET AS MR DONALD NESS, MR BOZWORTH’S
IMMEDIATE SUPERIOR AT THE EMBASSY – ‘A NAME IN THE SECURITY
FORCES THAT ONE WOULD NOT NORMALLY KNOW,’ SAID COUNSEL.

LUNARDI TOLD THE SECURITY MAN HE HAD BEEN IN A ROOM
WHERE THE PLOT HAD BEEN DISCUSSED.

‘HE ALSO SAID OTHER AMERICAN DIPOMATS WERE TARGETS OF
ASSASINATION ATTEMPTS,’ SAID MR STANTON.

‘ HE CLAIMED HE WAS AT SERIOUS RISK MAKI?G THE CALL AND
WANTED TO MEET PERSONALLY TO DISCUSS WHAT HE KNEW.

‘
MR BOZWORTH, WELL USED TO RECEIVING HOAX CALLS, FELT
THIS NEEDED FURTHER INVESTIGATION, AND 30 MINUTES LATER THE TWO
MEN MET AT THE EMBASSY.

LUNARDI, USING THE NAME ADAMS AND SPORTING A SOUTH
AFRICAN ACCENT, ENTERED THE BUILDING WITH THE SECURITY MAN AND
FOR TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS SPUN A WEB OF LIES.

MR STANTON TOLD THE COURT: ‘LUNARDI SAID HE WAS A SOUTH
AFRICAN DIRECTOR WHO CAME TO THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY AND WOULD BE
SHOT IF HE WAS DEPORTED BACK.

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