An online personality named Ilan M., known as ‘Amine Mojito,’ has been sentenced to six months in prison for creating a disturbing video where he pretended to inject people with a fake syringe. The French man’s actions, shared on TikTok just before the World Music Day festivities in June, caused significant public outrage.
Ilan M. faced court proceedings for his prank video titled “Mojito le piqueur fou” (the mad stinger), where he captured people’s shocked reactions after pretending to inject them with an empty syringe. This incident added to the existing concerns in France about needle attacks during public events. Despite numerous reports of needle spiking during the music festival in June, very few cases were verified.
During the trial, it was highlighted that Ilan M.’s actions inadvertently fueled the dangerous trend. Prosecutors pushed for a 15-month prison sentence with electronic surveillance, including five months suspended. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with six months suspended, for “violence with a weapon that did not result in incapacity for work.”
In addition to the jail term, Ilan M. was fined €1500 (£1,302) and prohibited from owning or carrying a weapon for three years. He expressed regret in court, admitting that he was influenced by similar pranks he had seen online in other countries. His lawyer noted that the sentence helped bring perspective after the initial media frenzy and balanced public order concerns with the defendant’s rights.
Despite pleas for leniency due to his prior detention, social media reactions indicated dissatisfaction with the perceived light sentencing. Critics emphasized the potential harm of such pranks, even if the syringe was empty, citing the risk of encouraging dangerous imitations and causing psychological distress to the victims.
