Punishing the Piano Man? | Services from Deutsche Welle | DW | 23.08.2005
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Punishing the Piano Man?

A man who startled the world after washing up on a British beach four months ago has finally revealed himself as a young Bavarian from a town near the Czech border. DW-WORLD readers comment on the case.

Should he be charged for abusing the British health care system?

Should he be charged for abusing the British health care system?

The following comments reflect the views of our readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

I don't think the "Piano Man" should be charged for wasting expert time. He's obviously disturbed and needed help. He has some mental problems, even if not the exact mental illnesses he was faking. -- Mike

Salt Lake City, US

Any suggestion of suing Piano Man is ridiculous, as he is obviously suffering from some psychiatric disorder. As such, he has a right to be treated anywhere in the European Union. -- Peter Stocks

Absolutely! Real patients could have been treated while he wasted everybody's time. He took away valuable resources for his own agenda. -- Heidi Stopper, US

I had a feeling that this might have been some sort of hoax. I am still shocked to find that this has been confirmed. I appreciate that the man may have some mental health problem but he should be held liable for the money spent. The man was so selfish and must have known that so much money was being spent on him. Did he really have to spin it for this whole time? I hear that he has two sisters and a father, they can put their hand in their pocket. -- Dave

Piano Man should be made to pay for all the medical expenses incurred in Britain. He must also be procecuted by the British authorities for waste of time, false pretences and causing distress to many people. -- Anthony Charles

I don't think that he should be sued. It's obvious that this young man does have issues. Why else would he choose not to speak since April? Treat his symptoms and you will find out why he did this which could lead to helping others that are traumatized for similar issues in the future. -- David Craven Roberts

I think that if the doctors couldn't find him out them they deserve to be stuck with the bill. He is obviously not a well person and probably needs treatment anyway since he was attempting suicide. Fooling everyone was very creative. A talented, if twisted, person!! -- Ensey

I don't think he should be sued. If he was suicidal in the first place, he should be receiving counseling for it. I think the deception is all part of his larger problem. The fact that it was costly is unfortunate, but mental health issues are by their very nature susceptible to deception, whether willful or involuntary; lack of straightforwardness is what has always made diagnosis and treatment difficult. -- Ange White, US

I have no comment as to whether the German patient should be sued for deceiving the health service. I do however have a comment on the Deutsche Welle article, which regarded as truth the contrary claims of the Daily Mirror that the man only played piano with one finger. The Mirror isn't actually a broadsheet (as stated in the DW article) it's a tabloid, and is prone to making claims, usually attacking public/government organizations, that turn out to be purely speculative. -- James Blakeley

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