Victim of tsunami disaster hoaxer condemns 'sick prank'

A VICTIM of a tsunami disaster hoaxer yesterday condemned the "sick prank" which told relatives of those missing in Asia that their loved ones had been found dead.

Steven Baxendale, 39, of Aldershot, Hamphire, was sent the cruel message, which purported to be from a British foreign office bureau in Thailand, on New Year's Day after he posted an appeal for help on a Sky News internet site.

He is anxiously searching for news of Sheffield couple Natalie and Andrew McLeish, who were taking a belated honeymoon on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi when the deadly waves struck on St Stephen's Day.