Internet comes to the rescue of hapless bank worker Dave

5 Feb 2010

A massive campaign of support online has saved the job of an Australian bank worker whose job was under threat because he was seen viewing erotic images on his computer while a colleague was being interviewed for TV.

In what was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, David Kiely became an internet sensation after a video of him viewing images of model Miranda Kerr appeared on YouTube. He was seen viewing email images of a semi-naked Kerr while a colleague was being interviewed live on the Channel 7 evening news in Australia.

His sudden realisation as he turned around mid-way through the film has fuelled speculation that he may have been set up by colleagues who thought it would be a great practical joke.

However, his bosses at Macquarie Wealth did not think so. Macquarie said in a statement today it had completed an internal review of the events of 2 February and action had been taken after discussions with the employee. “He will remain an employee of Macquarie,” the bank said this morning.

So far, more than a dozen sympathy groups for Kiely have been set up on Facebook and messages of support for a decent bloke who may have been set up by colleagues who sent him an email with the images attached are proliferating. One said: “Strewth, mate, it was only a sheila in a keeneyi!”

London business news website Here Is The City has joined the campaign and set up a ‘Save Dave – He Should Have Gone to Specsavers’ section on its website urging the bank not to fire the hapless Dave.

However, one unexpected beneficiary of the whole sage is Kerr. Since the story broke, searches for images of Kerr on Google have jumped 100pc.

By John Kennedy

Photo: Bank worker David Kiely was seen viewing email images of model Miranda Kerr while a colleague was being interviewed live on the Channel 7 evening news in Australia

 

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com