YouTube pranksters sentenced after ‘kidnapping’ Santa from next to a Coca-Cola truck
Horrified shoppers dialled 999 as Father Christmas was bundled into the boot of a car
PRANKSTERS who pretended to kidnap Santa Claus in an elaborate Christmas hoax have been sentenced in court after terrifying shoppers.
Onlookers dialled 999 after four balaclava-clad men bundled the Father Christmas into the boot of a waiting car.
YouTube movie maker Jamie Rainsley and five of his colleagues staged the stunt days before Christmas Day last year to promote their channel.
It was captured on video and shows Santa Claus outside a busy shopping centre wishing people a happy festive season.
A BMW and Mercedes then pull up, the pranksters get out, grab the Santa, and shout "oi you, get in!" as they chuck him in the boot of one of the vehicles.
Five police cars raced to the scene as petrified shoppers wondered what was going on.
The stunt, which according to Jamie "worked to perfection", was uploaded to YouTube on Christmas Day and gained 35,000 hits.
However in March this year Jamie and his pals were called by police and charged with using threatening or abusive behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
The group of six were given a 12-month conditional discharge by magistrates and ordered to pay £100 for their prank in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Now Jamie, who dreams of becoming a Hollywood movie director, has blasted Sussex Police.
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The 22-year-old, who uploaded the video to his YouTube channel "True Mobster", insisted he and his friends "are not criminals".
He also criticised police for not investigating "serious cases".
The Eastbourne prankster said: "We are not criminals, we are six young people trying to make careers, and now because of the actions of Sussex Police we have criminal records. That is not fair, that is not justice.
"It was surely clear to everyone it was a stunt. We threw around 150 wristbands out of the two vehicles and we know for a fact that shoppers stopped and picked them up.
"It was never our intention to upset or offend anyone, it was just a prank. There were security staff all around because of the Coca Cola truck but not one of them came towards us.
"Little did we know that people were going to dial 999."
He added: "We could not believe it and neither could the magistrates.
"It was a complete joke, we were only in the court for about 10 minutes. Surely the police have got more serious cases to investigate."