A teenager has been issued with a criminal behavior order and fined hundreds of pounds after breaking into a house as part of a “prank” TikTok video.
Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, 18, from Hackney, east London, appeared at Thames magistrates court on Wednesday.
He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, and to admit one count of failing to comply with a community protection notice.
Varinder Hayre, prosecuting, told the court that O’Garro was issued with a community protection notice on 11 May last year, and two of its conditions were that he not trespass on private property .
Hayre said he breached that notice by entering a house on 15 May this year. He went to the victim’s home address,” he said.
“Open the door to the property. “Mr O’Garro entered the property and immediately walked up the stairs. The owner of the house stopped him.
“He went to the living room. He sat on the sofa and said ‘Is the study group here?'”
Hayre said: “She was asked to leave several times by the victim and the husband.”
He added: “It was discovered that he filmed the whole incident for a TikTok trend about walking into random houses.”
Hayre said: “He caused a lot of trouble in the family. You can see the faces of the couple and their two little children.”
He told the court that the mother was under the impression that O’Garro had attempted a burglary.
Lee Sergent, mitigating, said O’Garro had apologized to the family. He said that the upbringing of his client is difficult.
“He’s an intelligent young man and a young man with some potential.”
He said his client was not in work or education, but instead received universal credit.
Sergent added that his client did some legitimate content on social media, including playing games and discussing conspiracy theories.
Judge Charlotte Crangle issued O’Garro with a two-year criminal behavior order.
The order includes that O’Garro must not directly or indirectly post videos on social media without the documented consent of the people featured in the content, must not trespass on private property, and must not attend at the Westfield Center in Stratford, east London.
He also ordered O’Garro to pay a fine of £200, as well as a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £85 – a total of £365.
