Say sorry on YouTube, court tells teens
Published 10 June, 2008, 14:35
Two youths in Florida have appeared in court for playing a cruel prank on a restaurant worker and uploading the video on YouTube. Now the boys, aged 15 and 16, will have to broadcast an apology on the video-sharing site. The Judge said it would deter others from carrying out similar acts, reports USA Today.
The prank that ended with charges against the boys is called 'Fire in the Hole'. It targeted a drive-through worker Jessica Ceponis. She handed the teenagers their soft drinks and was counting the change when one of them yelled 'Fire in the hole!' and threw a cup of soda at the woman. Then the boys sped off.
The prank was filmed and posted on a YouTube account along with other videos showing similar episodes.
At first Ceponis thought the attack was personal but later learned about the internet post. She managed to track the boys' MySpace accounts and confirm they were behind the incident. Then she contacted their parents.
The pranksters were charged with two counts each of battery and one count of criminal mischief.
Along with 100 hours of community service, a bill for cleaning the waitress's uniform, the judge has ordered that each boy film an apology and posts it on YouTube.
To add to their humiliation, the teenagers are shown handcuffed, facedown on the hood of a car.
The judge, prosecutor and defense attorneys who devised this punishment hope it will serve as a deterrent.
Police warn that filming cruel and violent pranks for the sole purpose of sharing them online is a disturbing new fad among young people.
YouTube's policy is to delete videos that show someone getting “hurt, attacked or humiliated” and calls on users to flag such videos.
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