杏吧原创

Nessie sonar tracks are fake

New evidence for a Loch Ness monster, which received wide publicity two weeks ago, was a fake, intended to give publicity to a firm at last week鈥檚 Brighton Toy Fair. Videomaster, a firm which makes home TV games, claimed in the Daily Record that it had carried out a six-month investigation at Loch Ness using a specially designed 鈥渧ideosonar鈥�. At a press conference Bryan King, director of the Loch Ness 鈥渆xpedition鈥�, presented photographs of loch-side equipment, graphs and a computer printout of sonar analysis.

In fact, none of the expedition team had visited Loch Ness, and the tape was produced on an electronic synthesiser. The company鈥檚 technical director, Robin Palmer, admitted he had simply typed the printout on a teletype terminal. The enterprise was dreamed up by a company employee to publicise products at the toy fair.

The hoax was criticised by the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB) and by Birmingham University who have used Loch Ness as a testing ground for sonar equipment they are developing for fishing and North Sea Oil. Dr David Creasey of Birmingham University said the hoax 鈥渃asts a shadow on what serious people are trying to do鈥�. David James, head of LNIB, felt that 鈥渓unatic fringe groups were playing the fool鈥�.

From New 杏吧原创, 12 February 1976