Ex-MP's son an internet liar

'Jennifer' was revealed to be a friend of Michael Chal's. Photo / Supplied

The "teenager" who claimed to be selling naked photos of his mother on Trade Me has been exposed as a liar who ran the auction for a design school project.

As a result Michael Chal - the 22-year-old son of former United Future MP Kelly Chal - is set to fail the project and may be banned from the online site.

Chal claimed to be an 18-year-old student who decided to sell raunchy photos of his mother Jennifer after she forced him to clean out the garage of their Auckland home.

Trade Me withdrew two auctions, saying some of the photos were inappropriate, but two suitable shots sold for $340 this week, despite not being of his mother.

Chal's antics were reported by dozens of media outlets around the world - including the Herald on Sunday - and extended to him roping in an accomplice to act as his mother.

But it has emerged the stunt was part of his studies at Auckland's Media Design School. Course leader Kate Humphries said students were set a project to use social media to "get people chattering".

Chal's project was supposed to advertise a fictitious brat camp where a teenage boy was sent after trying to sell naked photos of his mother.

Humphries said he was advised to tell official organisations the sale was part of his studies before doing any interviews and was "mortified" he had lied to media and Trade Me.

Until yesterday she believed the photos were of Chal's mother. She spoke to him yesterday and told him he'd got the school into trouble and had not followed the guidelines.

She said Chal had told her he had been upfront - but at no time during multiple phone and email communications with the Herald on Sunday did he tell the truth about the project.

Chal also failed to be straight with TVNZ's Close Up, on which he appeared on Wednesday night. "He's lied through and through," said Close Up producer Mike Valintine. "If he'd said that it was a project he wouldn't have been on TV. It's pretty despicable behaviour. The guy's a fool, to be honest."

Valintine said Chal wanted to appear on Close Up wearing a mask. "We wouldn't even contemplate that. I have never seen the likes of this in 30 years of television."

Humphries said it was "99.9 per cent certain" his project would not count towards his final grade. The project is worth 20 per cent of his year's work. She expected Chal in her office tomorrow to discuss the matter.

Chal said yesterday he had no regrets about the project, which he worked on with another student, who he would not name.

And he had no concerns about his stunt affecting a future in the advertising industry. "Dishonesty in advertising? I think that might help."

He said the woman posing in the photos was a friend who did not want to be identified. The woman claiming to be his mother was also "a friend".

His mother, Kelly Chal, lives in Wellington and is a former United Future MP. She lost her seat in parliament after 17 days when it emerged she was not a New Zealand citizen, making her ineligible.

Kelly Chal said yesterday she did not want to talk about her son: "It has nothing to do with me. He doesn't live at home, he lives in Auckland."

Trade Me spokesman Jon Macdonald said the auction closed on Wednesday and the photos fetched $340. The buyer had not paid, and had been advised not to.

Macdonald said Chal had broken Trade Me's terms and conditions but because the buyer had not paid, no law had been broken and the company would not contact police.

Chal would get a written warning and may be banned from the site.

"If he gives us confidence that he won't do anything like this again we will let him away with a warning. Otherwise, we'll ban him."

The winner of the auction, who did not want to be named, was surprised to hear from Trade Me yesterday, but had already received a confession from Chal via email.