The rumour wasn't true. The Australian police denied it. The director ofpublic prosecutions denied it. The British High Commission deniedit.
Eventually, a crack reporting team from the Daily Mail took a look. They"firmly established that the rumour is nonsense".
So the Mail ran an 800-word story, explaining Thompson's whereabouts, asfar as it could and stay within the law. It invited readers to postcomments online.
What is there to say about a false rumour? Fear not. They foundplenty.
- "Can we stop referring to 12-year-old Shanni Naylor's attacker as 'abully'?," asked Sun columnist Jane Moore. "She's a vicious thug who isabove the age of criminality and, together with her parents, should behauled before the courts and punished."
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