YouTube prankster jailed for staging a bomb threat hoax

A YouTube prankster has been jailed after he was convicted of terrifying people with bomb hoaxes and mock robberies.

Camerman Danh Van Le, 31, was filming a 15-year-old who was approaching strangers and revealing a clock inside a briefcase.

The footage for YouTube channel Trollstation – which has 680,000 subscribers and 188 million views – shows him frightening two people by dumping the bag and running off.

Unsurprisingly, the prank backfired when Van Le was arrested on suspicion of placing a bomb hoax on eight occasions in central London with his teenage friend.

He was jailed for nine months after he also admitted a public order offence with two earlier hoaxes at the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery.

The gallery pranks – which it is understood he filmed – saw fake raiders with tights over their faces run into the galleries with paintings in a mock heist.

The clock stunt was filmed in September as an homage to Ahmed Mohamed, 14, who was arrested after his home-made clock was mistaken for a bomb by his American school.

Van Le admitted one count of bomb hoax placing with intent, involving eight incidents, and was sentenced to 24 weeks at Inner London Crown Court.

The now 16-year-old – who cannot be named as a juvenile – admitted the same charge and was given a 12-month intense referral order on February 12.

Van Le also admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear or violence on July 5 involving two incidents at the Tate and National Portrait Gallery.

He was sentenced to a further 12 weeks for those offences.