Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser/Case/Sussexman

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[edit] Sussexman

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Filed: 03:38, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
  • Code letter: G
  • Supporting evidence:

On the original Robert I ArbCom case an account named User:Isabella84 (two Ls) is mentioned as a likely Robert I (aka Sussexman, David Lauder etc) sockpuppet. I came across a suspicious series of edits by User:Isabela84 (one L) and User:BScar23625 earlier.

  • 16:36 - Isabela84 posts to the talk page of User:Counter-revolutionary, asking him to confirm it is him and not some sockpuppet.
  • 16:36-16:37 - Isabela84 amends the signature on the previous post to that of BScar23625.
  • 16:39-16:44 - BScar23625 further amends the signature on the post made by Isabela84, and makes some remarks about one known Sussexman sockpuppet, and one (User:Olborne) that isn't known as a Sussexman sockpuppet, and a puzzling "et al" implying there are more sockpuppets that might not have been identified.

Further to the comments about further sockpuppets, there's also comments by BScar23625 on User talk:137.205.30.157 regarding User:Robert I, User:Sussexman and User:Christchurch all being the same editor, and those comments are from 2006 which is well before the connection was made by checkuser in February 2008. In addition to Olborne identified in the comment above, there's also the identification of User:Chicheley as another sockpuppet. BScar23625 seems remarkably well informed about the sockpuppets (and other possible sockpuppets), long before anyone else.

Given BScar23625's intimate knowledge of the Sussexman sockpuppets, and "oh shit" moment on Counter-revolutionary's talk page with the Isabela84 account, which is almost certainly connected to the Isabella84 account from the Robert I ArbCom case, I think it might be a good idea for a checkuser to take place to see if these accounts are connected to each other, or any other socks from the Sussexman/Counter-revolutionary sockfarm. Thanks. One Night In Hackney303 22:52, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Deferred to later. This needs discussion amongst checkusers experienced with the case, and may be kicked up to ArbCom yet. Please hold on a while ... - Alison ❤ 00:32, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
Note: - this is now actively being discussed by the Arbitration Committee - Alison ❤ 07:06, 30 May 2008 (UTC)
  • Delisted for now. Thatcher 17:49, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Sussexman

main edit links history watch talk
Filed: 03:38, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

This may be quite complex, so please bear with me while I try and keep it as concise and to the point as possible, while still providing the information needed. I'm unsure if one person is controlling all four accounts, but there's plenty of evidence connecting them to each other to varying extents.

Sussexman was initially blocked on 20 June 2006 for launching off-Wiki legal action against another editor in regards to Gregory Lauder Frost, more details here (note also it says the same editor was subjected to legal action from Michael Keith Smith, and also see here). Chelsea Tory's account was created on 23 June 2006. With his fifth edit the next day, he remarked that "He has for at least 6 months, conducted a relentless campaign against all articles and individuals connected with the Conservative Monday Club and the Western Goals Institute and his motives are clearly political rather than editorial", which seems remarkably well informed for a "brand new" editor. Him either being a sockpuppet or close associate has been brought up before, for example here and more pertinently here where Essjay (remember him?!) said according to checkuser it was probable he was Sussexman. Quite early on he also embroiled himself in the Gregory Lauder Frost situation. I don't know exactly when or how deep due to the article being deleted, but for example see here and here. He's also been campaigning for Sussexman to be unblocked, for example see here, here, here. Counter-revolutionary mysteriously appealed for an unblock here in August 2007, for no discernible reason. Sussexman posted an unblock request on 24 January 2008, quickly supported by Chelsea Tory, who knows Sussexman will behave and supported by Counter-revolutionary. Interesting, so I decided to investigate further.

The edits of three out of the four accounts listed above have many edits to extremist right-wing Conservative Party members, former members and associated groups such as John R. Pinniger, Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley, Western Goals (UK), Gregory Lauder Frost, Western Goals Institute, Conservative Democratic Alliance, International Monarchist League, Conservative Monday Club, Michael Keith Smith, Lord Nicholas Hervey, Harvey Ward etc

All three active accounts were also used in ArbCom elections in December, in particular Giano's: Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2007/Vote/Giano II - Chelsea Tory, Counter-revoltionary and David Lauder.

There's also been !votestacking in contentious AfDs, such as these: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Diarmuid O'Neill saw all three active accounts !vote to delete - Counter-revolutionary, David Lauder and Chelsea Tory

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Federal Commonwealth Society saw all three active accounts !vote to keep - Counter-revolutionary, an IP editor (more on that shortly), Chelsea Tory and David Lauder. Note that the IP editor also !voted in this discussion about honorific prefixes, which David Lauder, Chelsea Tory and Counter-revolutionary all !voted in as well.

Staying on the subject of IPs, there's always BT IPs kicking around this set of editors and articles. I'm sure there's many more I've not had chance to track down, but these are telling:

BT IPs are also linked to David Lauder as well. For example see here, where a member of ArbCom which checkuser confirmed that an IP used for !votestacking in a contentious AfD was David Lauder despite his denials. The plot thickens....

Sussexman

Chelsea Tory

Counter-revolutionary

More details of edits per account to the pages in question - click to view 

Now I'm more than aware simply editing the same small group of articles doesn't make people sock or meatpuppets of each others, otherwise I'd be a sockpuppet of various editors about Irish republicanism. However there's more evidence that these people are not only very closely associated to the articles they are editing, but it's inconceivable that they don't know each other. The images they have uploaded are very important.

Now as you can see, Counter-revolutionary is clearly quite close to the people/groups he edits, and attended the same dinner in 1989 as Chelsea Tory who was also taking photographs. He's got photos of Gregory Lauder Frost over well over a ten year period in England, Warsaw, Croatia and Brussels, he must know him surely?

Other images are quite interesting too, in particular the licenses including punctuation:

Image upload by Chelsea Tory (just the one total upload sadly):

  • "Private amateur photo of President Cristiani taken in London in Sept 1989. No copyright."

Image uploads by David Lauder (there's plenty with a similar summary, small sample follows):

  • "Fading old colour photo of Foulden Village. No copyright."
  • "Private photograph. No copyright."
  • "Private photo taken by me in 1997. No copyright."
  • "Private photo taken in 1984. No copyright."
  • "Private photo taken by me. No copyright."

Sussexman tended to make edits to Scotland and aristocracy related articles such as Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton, Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, Manny Shinwell, Baron Shinwell, Henry of Scotland, while Chelsea Tory doesn't. Is there a reason for this? I believe there is. Both the Chelsea Tory account and David Lauder account are sockpuppets of Sussexman and are controlled by the same person. Chelsea Tory edits the political articles, while David Lauder sticks to the Scotland, aristocratical and Lauder related articles. There's obviously some link between David Lauder and Gregory Lauder Frost, which ties David Lauder into Sussexman and Chelsea Tory. Counter-revolutionary is tied into the whole saga as well, with his clear connection to Gregory Lauder Frost, same concentration of articles, and involvement in the campaign to unblock Sussexman. I feel a checkuser is required to determine exactly who is controlling what accounts in this whole saga, especially considering the !votestacking in AfDs and (worse still) ArbCom elections. One Night In Hackney303 03:38, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Note: - this is a serious quantity of evidence & it's taken some time to process here. Accepting this case on the basis that there is strong evidence of abusive sock-puppetry here. The suggestions of votestacking are particularly worrying. Given that one of the users above has been banned for making RL legal threats in the form of solicitor's letters and is now seeking unblock, supported by the others mentioned above, this certainly warrants addressing - Alison ❤ 07:44, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
Confirmed - the following. Note that this does not confirm the people are one, but I can confirm that they have edited from the same computer, sometimes within a minute of each other. There is also another account here which I shall not name as it's unrelated to the evidence above. All of the three accounts below appear to have logged out to edit at various times, though I will not comment on the IP addresses whatsoever per privacy policy as it is unwarranted here.
  1. Sussexman (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  2. Chelsea Tory (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  3. David Lauder (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
Likely - has also edited from the same computer at the same time and place as the above but not nearly as often. This points more to collusion and meat-puppetry than they being the same individual. Note that this has happened at disparate IP addresses.
  1. Counter-revolutionary (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
There are also other Confirmed accounts associated with User:Counter-revolutionary which I shall not name as they are unrelated to the evidence above. They certainly edit at the same time and IP address as CR but are not being used abusively. Thus, I am reluctant to disclose these at this time.
Note: - it is also confirmed that User:Sussexman has edited anonymously, even though he is still banned. Note that collusion amongst the above accounts was also discussed at Wikipedia talk:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2007/Vote/Giano II#Suspected canvassing and I can confirm that User:Chelsea Tory and User:David Lauder both voted from the same computer within a short period of time of each other when voting at the ArbCom elections. Association was denied at the time. I note also that User:Chelsea Tory canvassed others for the unblocking of Sussexman - Alison ❤ 08:40, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
Note: - I'm requesting a second checkuser opinion as there have been accusations of bias due to my nationality - Alison ❤ 20:00, 17 February 2008 (UTC)
Deferred to another checkuser for second opinion - Alison ❤ 20:44, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Confirmed

  1. Sussexman (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  2. Chelsea Tory (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  3. David Lauder (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  4. Counter-revolutionary (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  5. Christchurch (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)
  6. Immanuel can't (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log)

Considering the level of abuse here, including canvassing, logged out editing, and legal threats, I see no reason to be coy about accounts that currently appear to be well-behaved but are obviously the same individual. Thatcher 12:11, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
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