Jail Sentence For Popular YouTube Pranksters (bbc.com)

Turns out crossing a line, even for a prank by a YouTube star, can go bonkers. An anonymous reader cites a BBC report: Four members of the controversial Trollstation YouTube channel have been jailed in connection with fake robberies and kidnappings. The group were involved in a fake robbery at London's National Portrait Gallery and a fake kidnapping at Tate Britain in July 2015. The channel, with 718,000 subscribers, has built a reputation for filming staged pranks around the city. A fifth member was imprisoned in March following a bomb hoax.The Crown Prosecution Service's Robert Short said: "The hoaxes may have seemed harmless to them, but they caused genuine distress to a number of members of the public, who should be able to go about their daily business without being put in fear in this way. We hope these convictions send a strong message that unlawful activities such as these will not be tolerated in London."

Comments

Arrested for Violating the Strange-Sketch-Act

[Anonymous Coward]

Also the Getting-Out-of-Sketches-Without-Using-a-Proper-Punch-Line Act, viz:

“Simply ending every bleeding sketch by just having a policeman come in.”

Goodness

[American AC in Paris]

One would think that YouTube fame would protect one from the consequences of faking a realistic-looking burglary at a major museum.

:|

Just release them next year and say "just kidding"

[PixelPusher1532]

It is OK. In a year or two they will be released from jail and informed that the jail sentence was all just a prank. Won't that be funny!!!

Re:Never moving to the UK

[Anonymous Coward]

Dr. Whom? FTFY

Re:Good!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's just a prank, bro. Chill.

Re:Just release them next year and say "just kiddi

[Overzeetop]

My kingdom for a mod point.