TGIS: Thank God It's Schadenfreude! (315)

This week's joy in the misfortune of others comes courtesy of BBC News (from Tuesday, April 5; link good at time of posting):

A candidate for Derby City Council has apologised for using a false name in a BBC phone-in about honesty in politics.

Ashley Waterhouse, 22, a Conservative standing in the Normanton ward, rang Radio Derby's breakfast show calling himself "Paul in Normanton".

His voice and number were recognised and, after initial denials, Mr Waterhouse admitted he had lied.

....

Mr Waterhouse had called Monday's breakfast show but had been told that as a candidate in May's election he could not take part.

He then rang back as Paul to support calls for politicians to face more rigorous screening of their backgrounds.

Mr Waterhouse, posing as Paul, was again asked if he was taking part in the elections.

Phil Trow, the host of the breakfast show, said: "He said no at that point.

"When we discovered it was his phone number, we phoned him back and asked him whether he was Ashley Waterhouse. He denied it then.

"We phoned him back three times and had three different conversations and he came up with a whole list of elaborate excuses.

"Eventually he phoned back and did confess."

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