Dr Carol Stott in crank email attack on journalist who exposed MMR scare claims

This page is research from an investigation by Brian Deer for the UK's Channel 4 Television and The Sunday Times of London into a campaign linking the MMR children's vaccine with autism. | Go to part I: The Lancet scandal | Go to part II: The Wakefield factor

During the investigation, Carol Stott, a now-terminated, temporary junior researcher in Cambridge University's psychiatry department, became demented over the collapse of the MMR attack, and launched the barrage of sick emails below. Brian Deer had never heard of Stott, and wrote to the British Psychological Society, which, after a disciplinary inquiry, formally warned her. She has since ludicrously been dubbed "visiting professor" by a US colonoscopy business called "Thoughtful House", run by Andrew Wakefield

03.54am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
Subject: game on
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 03:54:26

Try me, shit head.

Beleive me, you will lose.

04.05am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: game on
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 04:05:28

and tell Fitzpatrick whilst you're at it.

[This is probably a reference to Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, author of an outstanding book on MMR]

04.08am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: game on
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 04:08:35

and terence. of course.

[Who or what "terence" might be is a mystery]

04.18am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
Subject:
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 04:18:16

so go fuck yourself.

Or ring....0447446 8502

Got it yet shit head.

Try me

[The phone number, checked next day, was unobtainable]

04.52am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
To: "Twathead" <>
Subject:
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 04:52:20

waiting

[The addressee "Twathead" is new to this correspondence]

04.56am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
To: "Twathead" <>
Subject: FW: game on
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 04:56:44

oh yes. Forgot to say. Currently talking to the Press Complaints Commission,several MPs and the CU Press Office. Stick that where it feels good.

shit head

["CU" must mean Cambridge University, but why we should care is unclear]

09.34am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
To: "Twathead" <>
Subject:
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 09:34:22

well, ur a bit slow on the uptake. Give it time I s'pose. twat.

Carol Stott: "Try me, shithead" Carol Stott (left) takes a break from emailing with the "Cambridge Psychometrics and Autism Practice." Her now-abandoned website suggested that she made money evaluating autistic children and advising parents. She stressed "substantial experience in medico-legal and educational-legal expert witness work," but is actually an academic, not a clinical, psychologist, and was reportedly paid £100,000 by a UK lawyer desperate to find anyone to attack the MMR vaccine in support of Andrew Wakefield. Stott claims experience in "attendance at court or in tribunals", but we wonder if any lawyer in their right mind would now expose her to questioning. "Dr Stott, does the expression 'try me, shithead' ring any bells?"

09.43am

CAROL STOTT: Hello

BD: Hello. Is that Carol?

CAROL STOTT: Yeah.

BD: It is?

CAROL STOTT: Yeah. Who’s that?

BD: Oh, hi, it’s Brian Deer from The Sunday Times here.

CAROL STOTT: Oh, hello.

BD: Hi, there.

CAROL STOTT: What do you want?

BD: Em, well, I believe you are interested in autism.

CAROL STOTT: Yeah.

BD: And the MMR issue?

CAROL STOTT: [long pause] Why do you think that?

BD: Well, you’re the Carol Stott at Cambridge University, with the Autism Research Centre.

CAROL STOTT: [long pause, coughs, very quiet] Yeah.

BD: That’s correct?

CAROL STOTT: [very loud and sarcastic] Ye-e-e-s.

BD: Oh, I just wanted to talk to you about that subject.

CAROL STOTT: Right, okay, what do you want?

BD: Well, you’ve apparently been sending me malicious emails.

CAROL STOTT: [sarcastically] Have I?

BD: Yes.

CAROL STOTT: [sarcastically] Good heavens. I wonder how that’s happened.

BD: Well, I’m just asking. I wonder how that has.

CAROL STOTT: I don’t know. I really don’t know. Is there anything else that you want?

BD: Well, I don’t know. I just wonder if you have any thoughts about how that could have happened?

CAROL STOTT: No, I don’t really know. I’m not [inaudible] you malicious [emphasised] emails, have I? What do you mean ‘malicious’, Mr Deer?

BD: Well, I don’t know. I’ve just had these emails.

CAROL STOTT: Mmm. I see.

BD: Well, what I’ll do then, I think probably the best thing for me to do is to call Simon Baron-Cohen [head of the Cambridge Autism Research Centre] and speak to him about it.

CAROL STOTT: If you wish to. Yes.

BD: I should say I have actually recorded this conversation, so -

CAROL STOTT: Yeah, you should actually say that at the beginning of the conversation. Are you not aware of that?

BD: Well, there is no requirement for me to do that.

CAROL STOTT: Is there not? Is that right? Okay.

BD: I think Professor Baron-Cohen will assess the situation quite clearly from this conversation.

CAROL STOTT: Okay.

BD: Now I should say to you that if you do send any more, it will become a rather serious issue.

CAROL STOTT: Will it indeed?

BD: I mean, I’m surprised that you hold an academic position to tell you the truth...

CAROL STOTT: [laughs] Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

BD: ... from the way you are speaking to me.

CAROL STOTT: Really? Why? Why does that surprise you?

BD: Well, to send malicious emails in the early hours of the morning and then really to respond in the way that you have in this conversation is really rather surprising.

CAROL STOTT: [pause] Uh-huh. [pause] To who?

BD: Well, it’s very surprising to me.

CAROL STOTT: Yeah, well, I don’t really care about what your response is.

BD: But I would have thought that you were involved in the care of children, and involved in a very serious subject, which is the subject of autism.

CAROL STOTT: Yeah. I am.

BD: And -

CAROL STOTT: What I don’t do is take kindly to people like yourself, who are entirely malicious about the whole thing. Okay? And quite honestly you can do whatever you want to do. [pause] And it really would not faze me at all.

BD: Well, I would just have to hope you have acedemic tenure, because this is really a rather serious matter.

CAROL STOTT: Why do you think that is?

BD: Excuse me?

CAROL STOTT: Why do you think that is. I haven’t actually sent you any emails. You know I really don’t know what you are talking about.

BD: I think Professor Baron-Cohen will be able to evaluate this conversation, and establish what’s been going on.

CAROL STOTT: Yes. Okay, well try him.

BD: Okay, well, I’ll do that. I have to say I’m very surprised, and I would ask you to stop sending these emails.

CAROL STOTT: I haven’t sent any emails.

BD: Well, okay, well you’d better tell that to your university when they raise this matter with you. Okay, well, I just ask you to stop sending them, em, and we’ll take it from there. Thank you very much, anyway. Bye bye.

11.18am

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
To: "Brian" <>
Subject: Press Complaints
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 11:18:12

I have documented that you recorded a telephone conversation without my explicit consent. You will be hearing from Press Complaints and from my solicitor in due course. There will be many additional complaints about your despicable behaviour to follow.

17.41pm

REPLY TO CAROL STOTT:

Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 17:41:30
To: <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
From: Brian Deer
Subject: To Dr Carol Stott, re your abusive emails

Dear Dr Stott,

I hope that I have given you sufficient time to sober up, recover from whatever substances you may have ingested, or in any other way come to your senses, following the malicious, abusive and obscene string of emails you have sent me. I have passed these to the University of Cambridge's Autism Research Centre, which assures me that the matter has been referred to the university's human resources department for disciplinary inquiry.

I have taken the trouble to inspect the website of your business, "The Cambridge Psychometrics and Autism Practice", and from this deduce that you have been on the payroll of the failed MMR litigation. Perhaps you have become disordered following your realization that you will no longer be able to charge fees to that litigation, and you somehow hold me responsible for your loss.

However, in the light of your conduct towards me - a person you have never met, or had any prior dealings with - I am concerned that you apparently offer professional services to vulnerable children and their families. Therefore, unless you can supply me with a complete apology and explanation for your behaviour, I propose to report this matter to the British Psychological Society, which may have a view regarding your fitness to practice.

I urge you to discuss this matter with your friends or colleagues - perhaps with your business partner, Dr Fiona Scott - and let me have your reply within 24 hours.

Yours sincerely,

 

Brian Deer

22.47pm

From: "Dr Carol Stott" <cs10001@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
To: "Brian Deer" <>
Subject:
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 22:47:05 +0100

Please see attached.

30^th June 2004

Dear Mr Deer

Thank you for your letter. You are quite right. The language in my early morning emails to you was, I acknowledge, inappropriate and for that I apologise.

I am extremely angry and upset at your grossly unfair treatment of the families of children potentially affected by the MMR vaccine, and at your unjustified, sustained and venomous attacks on those who are trying to help them. I had also just returned from the USA and was very jetlagged. I am afraid, therefore, I allowed myself to give vent to my feelings in a private email, but in a rather inappropriate manner.

Yours sincerely

Dr Carol Stott