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Vernon Unsworth

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The Resume

    (June 23, 1955- )
    Born in United Kingdom
    British rescue worker, cave diver
    Works as an Insurance & Finance Consultant/Broker
    Key figure in the Tham Luang cave rescue (2018)

Why he might be annoying:

    He came into the limelight after after he dismissed Elon Musk's idea to build a small submarine to help rescue the Thai cave boys, calling it 'a PR Stunt' and telling him he could 'stick his submarine where it hurts.'
    His comments prompted Musk to tweet a response to Unsworth he later deleted: ' 'Sorry pedo guy, you really did ask for it.'
    The 'pedo guy' tweet presumably referenced his being in a relationship with nail salon owner Woranan Ratrawiphukkunand who is twenty years his junior.
    Musk later claimed he was 'a child rapist' and 'a single white guy from England who's been traveling to or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years... until moving to Chiang Rai for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time' (disputed and unproven).
    He sued Elon Musk for slander and defamation, seeking $190 million in damages.
    The jury found in favor of Musk and ruled he was not liable (December 6, 2019).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He began his career as a cave diver by exploring the cave system of Yorkshire Dales.
    He also has conducted many rescue operations in England.
    When the junior association football team (12 boys and their coach, Ekaphol Chantawog) were trapped inside the six miles long Tham Luang Cave, he became the first foreign rescuer who helped the Thailand Rescue Team to save the lives of those trapped in the cave.
    He had spent years exploring the Tham Luang cave system where the boys were trapped for 17 days — meaning he had expert knowledge that was vital to the rescue.
    He was the recipient of the Order of the Direkgunabhorn, conferred by the King of Thailand for his involvement in the rescue effort (March 2019).
    Elon Musk was caught attempting to solicit a private investigator to 'dig up dirt' on him.
    Musk publicly apologized for the attack during the trial, claiming 'pedo guy' was a common insult when he was growing up in South Africa (side-eye...).
    He was repaid for his heroism by being made the object of baseless slander from a billionaire (who got away with libel).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 14.29% Annoying