A massive apology to you all.

[Gavin Chipper]

Cool. We'll see you when you rejoin us!

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

This is an outrage!
Are Maureen and Callum aware that you've been on here impersonating their husband and grandad?!

[Fiona T]

They were all fake made up names, not anything serious so no I’ve not impersonated anyone. I just used Maureen Grabhams name but I never pretended to be her.

You still don't seem to realise that this isn't just "pranks" and "games".

You DID pretend to be Maureen. There are posts from Maureen - what is that if not pretending to be her?

"Martin" told George he was married to her. You sent James a wedding photo of Martin and Maureen.

Fortunately when you tried to pretend to be Paul Nixon you picked the wrong chap as he saw the facebook post.

I remember your Dave Butt posts from last year - you took his photo and his identity and posted as if you were him.

This is the sort of stuff that can get you into serious trouble.

If I created an Ashton Hancock account and started posting all sorts of stuff that people knew to be nonsense, you wouldn't be too delighted I suspect.

You've apologised which is good, but don't underplay what you have done.

[Elliott Mellor]

This is an outrage!
Are Maureen and Callum aware that you've been on here impersonating their husband and grandad?!

They were all fake made up names, not anything serious so no I’ve not impersonated anyone. I just used Maureen Grabhams name but I never pretended to be her.

I appreciate the apology - but this is just an outright lie. You clearly pretended to be her - you claimed your wife was on in series 24, and alluded many times to it being Maureen Grabham. That's not just "using her name" - that's stealing her identity. The chance of her visiting this forum is low, but I imagine she'd be pretty upset if she saw all that was going on with this.

[Elliott Mellor]

I did try to do that.

I did do Dave Butt.

I didn’t do the Paul Nixon thing, what you need to understand is that there is some nasty people out there (which I’m not one of in general) and it’s them that’s done that, I’m admitting everything I have done but that and the wiki stuff I wasn’t involved in, I do (clearly) run MartinS but I’ve not been the Vandal.

Cheers

It's a little convenient that new accounts registered on the wiki, vandalised things, then you somehow restored them all 2 minutes later, no? You used this as leverage to get you admin privileges. If this wasn't you, it's mightily convenient that you was somehow there to restore them all, making you look wonderfully helpful.

[Elliott Mellor]

I did try to do that.

I did do Dave Butt.

I didn’t do the Paul Nixon thing, what you need to understand is that there is some nasty people out there (which I’m not one of in general) and it’s them that’s done that, I’m admitting everything I have done but that and the wiki stuff I wasn’t involved in, I do (clearly) run MartinS but I’ve not been the Vandal.

Cheers

It's a little convenient that new accounts registered on the wiki, vandalised things, then you somehow restored them all 2 minutes later, no? You used this as leverage to get you admin privileges. If this wasn't you, it's mightily convenient that you was somehow there to restore them all, making you look wonderfully helpful.

I wasn’t involved I hung around a lot that’s all. Who is “TheWikiMan”???

I'll admit I can't prove this - though an IP address test on the accounts probably would, but considering we've already shown that at least one thing you said on this topic was an untruth it's hardly a stretch that this might be as well. If it was you, then this is your chance to admit it - otherwise I'll ask for the IP addresses to be checked to see if there are any "coincidences" there as well.

[Phil H]

Folks, aren't we getting a bit carried away with the "identity theft" business? I'm no lawyer but I'd have assumed it only becomes a crime if you try to make payments using someone else's money, get a loan in someone else's name, or suchlike.

[Jon O'Neill]

Well done for owning up and apologising. It takes bravery to do that and everyone appreciates it.
You've still got a lot of growing up to do, but you're by no means alone in that regard.

[Gavin Chipper]

This is an outrage!
Are Maureen and Callum aware that you've been on here impersonating their husband and grandad?!

They were all fake made up names, not anything serious so no I’ve not impersonated anyone. I just used Maureen Grabhams name but I never pretended to be her.

I appreciate the apology - but this is just an outright lie. You clearly pretended to be her - you claimed your wife was on in series 24, and alluded many times to it being Maureen Grabham. That's not just "using her name" - that's stealing her identity. The chance of her visiting this forum is low, but I imagine she'd be pretty upset if she saw all that was going on with this.

When/where did this happen? I don't recall it on this forum at least.

[Elliott Mellor]

They were all fake made up names, not anything serious so no I’ve not impersonated anyone. I just used Maureen Grabhams name but I never pretended to be her.

I appreciate the apology - but this is just an outright lie. You clearly pretended to be her - you claimed your wife was on in series 24, and alluded many times to it being Maureen Grabham. That's not just "using her name" - that's stealing her identity. The chance of her visiting this forum is low, but I imagine she'd be pretty upset if she saw all that was going on with this.

When/where did this happen? I don't recall it on this forum at least.

Robbo announced in his post on the conut page as such, so I'm presuming he'd claimed so. He's also definitely alluded to it, if I could be bothered digging through posts then I'd find it.

[Elliott Mellor]

Folks, aren't we getting a bit carried away with the "identity theft" business? I'm no lawyer but I'd have assumed it only becomes a crime if you try to make payments using someone else's money, get a loan in someone else's name, or suchlike.

You're right in this respect, it wouldn't be legally upholdable - but it's still really not on to impersonate someone that you aren't.

[Elliott Mellor]

Folks, aren't we getting a bit carried away with the "identity theft" business? I'm no lawyer but I'd have assumed it only becomes a crime if you try to make payments using someone else's money, get a loan in someone else's name, or suchlike.

You're right in this respect, it wouldn't be legally upholdable - but it's still really not on to impersonate someone that you aren't.

I’m on the same page as you Elliott, this is true it’s not on at all, if I could find this women I’d give her a huge apology

I don't think she's ever going to find out about this. I doubt she browses this place. Just don't do stuff like this again

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Well, that's confirmed it for me.
The countdown community has its own personal Helen Lovejoy now, which is pretty hilarious.

[Ronan M Higginson]

Ashton, I appreciate the fact you have given in that "Martin" is you and apologising like that was a good thing to do, well done.

However, I do feel as if that apology did not need so much irrelevant information. Describing me as being a PITA in the past was VERY insulting!!!

A better way to have worded it would be:

"Hi all,

As many of you suspected, I am Ashton Hancock and I would like to sincerely apologise for my stupidity in the countdown community over the past year, I can promise you now that I will no longer behave in that way again.

Thanks,
Ashton".

[Ronan M Higginson]

No problem, and I sort of did, I was just really annoyed over the fact I was deactivated.

[Cath C]

Absolute scenes going on here!!!!!!!!!!

[Fiona T]

Those apologies are already looking rather hollow. I think you're running out of goodwill here.

[Ronan M Higginson]

To be honest Ashton, I don't think anyone believes your lies anymore. You've apologised several times before, but kept making the same mistakes over and over again. what you have done to me is terrible, and has left me distressed. I'm sure many others are the same. I want no more private messages from you, and I would appreciate it if you didn't respond to this message. You had no rights to mention me at the beginning of this thread, I was not a pain in the arse. If you do want to join, give it a few years like me and others did too. Please take all the advice into account that you have received (which is a lot!), and please don't abuse me, abuse anyone else, or troll the community anymore. Thank you!

[Ben Wilson]

...And this thread has outlived its usefulness. Ashton, take all the advice in this thread to heart. Mull on it. Talk it over with your parents, with friends, with someone. But take a lot of time to think before returning, if you decide to return. Find another hobby- one you like as much as Countdown, even. But don't make the same mistakes there.