The man who created a fake twitter account for former Co-op Bank boss Paul Flowers that fooled national newspapers has opened up to Londonlovesbusiness.com.
Cody Lachey, who is on bail for allegedly threatening prostitutes as part of the Flowers case, told us he set up the account to show how some newspapers will print stories without checking the facts.
Already know the background? Scroll down for our interview.
Tweeting under the handle @PaulFlowersRvd, Lachey talked about Flowers’s impending case and told his followers that he would be looking into rehab.
Actually thinking about taking the advice I’ve been given about going into rehab, but going to wait to see what happens ref my case first.
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 12, 2014
I am sorry for all of this, & I am seeking professional help, and apologise to all I have hurt or failed by my actions, im looking at Rehab
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 13, 2014
The calm before the storm, early night for me ready to report to the police station to see what see happens, the media may be disappointed
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 13, 2014
I admit I’ve been in a dark place for a long time, sadly the end is not any closer sadly there will be further misdeeds that come to light
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 13, 2014
As Paul Flowers, Lachey also said he would be writing a book of his experiences.
Think of a fitting name for my book would be “A Flowers by Any Other Name” a detailed no hold barred name and shame expose. #Chapter1
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 15, 2014
Despite how unconvincing the tweets clearly are, the account was spotted by the Daily Mail.
The Mail was particularly interested in Paul Flowers’s shock “confession” that he only got the job because he had friends in the industry. In fact, the Sunday paper ran a story yesterday including many of the fake tweets, and even appeared to have checked the account was real. The story said: “Although Flowers did not respond to requests to confirm that he was behind the account on the social networking sites, sources close to the minister said that it was genuine.”
Lachey, who has also been known as Craig Langley, revealed the account was a fake yesterday.
Just to let you all know this is’nt Paul Flower’s, its @badboysmcr im currently on bail over Pauls case, Im sick of media & government etc.
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 19, 2014
Lachey posted a picture of himself with the Mail on Sunday yesterday.
Me & my alter ego @badboysmcr as seen in todays @MailOnline @DAlLYMAlL & as seen on the Andrew Marr programme today. pic.twitter.com/5YN39q9PjM
— Paul Flowers (@PaulFlowersRvd) January 19, 2014
Exposing the media
He told us he’d created the fake account to expose media hypocrisy.
Speaking exclusively to LondonlovesBusiness.com Lachy said: “I never thought one of Britain’s most popular newspapers would fall for such a massive story.
“It wasn’t just the Mail, it was the Evening Standard and ITV too.
“ITV reported that Paul was quitting the church, just like that, after something I tweeted.”
He told us some newspapers would just write whatever they liked, without doing any research.
“For all the good journalists out there, there are also bad ones,” he said.
“I just wanted to show how the government, MPs, the media, are diseased and corrupt. Gaps between the haves and the have-nots are getting bigger every year. I wanted to show the system for what it is.”
He told us that he’d seen lies about himself in the press in the past.
“I have got a criminal record but I’ve been portrayed in a bad light in the past,” he said. “I put my hands up to it – not everything that has been written about me was lies, some of it was true, but some of it was completely made up.”
He said people do not know where to turn when they feel a story is untrue, as the Press Complaints Commission was ineffective in the past.
The trouble was, he said, people often believed stories in the press, despite some not having being researched at all.
“Just because it’s in a national newspaper, it doesn’t make it true. I could have made Paul Flowers guilty by trial by media. I almost wish I’d gone a bit further with it,” he told us.
Asked whether he felt guilty about using Paul Flowers’s name, Lachey said he didn’t think it made much difference to his already tarnished image.
“I can’t really besmudge Paul’s character more than has already happened. The only way is up from rock bottom,” he said.
Lachey told us he expects more to be revealed about Flowers before the case is over.
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