Dubai 'honesty test' YouTube pranksters jailed in London

Screen grab from Dubai honesty video

London - Brits, Jarvis and his cameraman Dan Van Le, dropped a wallet in various areas in Dubai, and residents returned it to its owner every single time.

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By Staff Reporter

Published: Thu 19 May 2016, 6:05 PM

Pulling pranks might be fun, but London officials clearly did not think so.
Four members of Trollstation YouTube channel were arrested on Monday for a fake robbery at London's National Portrait Gallery and fake kidnapping at Tate Britain that they performed in July 2015, reported BBC.
Daniel Jarvis, 27, Helder Gomes, 23, Endrit Ferizolli, 20, and Ebenezer Mensah, 29, pleaded guilty to "two counts of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior with intent to cause fear of, or provoke unlawful violence for their involvement in the two hoaxes".
The channel, which is reputed for filming pranks in England, carried out an honesty social experiment in Dubai that went viral at the time. 
About a year ago, Jarvis and his cameraman Dan Van Le, who was also sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment in March for a separate bomb hoax, dropped a wallet in various areas in Dubai and residents returned it to its owner every single time.
After repeating the gesture 45 times on the streets, the filmmakers said Dubai had earned the perfect honesty score.
They later released another video of Jarvis pretending to be drunk on Dubai streets. In a scene, he was filmed asking Dubai Police officers for directions before they told him drinking is not allowed on city roads.
The video was not received warmly.

The group has gained more than 700,000 subscribers on YouTube since they started few years ago.
Last December, Russian YouTuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy caught Dubai Police attention after performing a dangerous car stunt as a prank on his mother. Police later summoned the owner of the car used and warned against future car stunts.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

Staff Reporter

Published: Thu 19 May 2016, 6:05 PM

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