French prankster Amine Mojito faces 6 months in prison for stabbing strangers with empty needles

A French influencer has been sentenced to prison for a disturbing prank where he stabbed strangers with empty needles.

A French influencer has been sentenced to prison for a disturbing prank where he stabbed people with empty needles. Ilan M, also known by his internet moniker Amine Mojito, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, six of which are suspended.

The ruling came from the Paris Criminal Court on October 3, reported French newspaper Libération.

Disturbing prank videos

Amine Mojito filmed disturbing prank videos where he pretended to inject strangers with a syringe on the streets of Paris. The syringes used in the pranks were empty, but the victims were unaware of the fact and were naturally horrified.

The 27-year-old prankster appeared to look “ashamed” during his court appearance, Libération reported. He claimed he was unaware of the larger social implications of his prank, saying he was “in his own world” and “unaware of everything.”

“I had the very bad idea of doing these pranks by imitating what I saw on the internet, in Spain, [and] in Portugal. I didn’t think it could hurt people. That was my mistake, I didn’t think about others, I thought about myself,” he said in French, as per Libération.

Sentenced to prison

The Paris Criminal Court sentenced the 27-year-old to 12 months in prison, of which six months shall be served in custody. He has also been fined €1,500 and barred from carrying or owning a weapon for three years.

The court convicted him of “violence with a weapon that did not result in incapacity for work”.

Amine Mojito's lawyer, Marie Claret de Fleurieu, said that the court’s judgement "brings the debates back into more proportion after the initial media frenzy" and "restores a little balance between the preservation of public order and that of the fundamental rights of [her] client" .