Could Staying After the Police Arrive Lead to Conviction?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the legality and implications of a prank involving a man wearing a stocking over his head in public, which led to public panic. Participants debated whether he could be convicted of disturbing the peace or faking a crime, with references to laws in Australia regarding inducing panic. The consensus is that while the prank was humorous, it posed risks and highlighted issues of profiling and public perception of crime. Ultimately, the prankster's intent was to exploit reactions rather than commit a crime.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Australian laws regarding public disturbances and inducing panic.
  • Knowledge of the concept of profiling and its implications in law enforcement.
  • Familiarity with the cultural context of pranks and public reactions in Australia.
  • Awareness of the legal distinctions between faking a crime and performing a comedic stunt.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research Australian laws on public disturbances and their enforcement.
  • Explore the psychological effects of public pranks on bystanders.
  • Investigate case studies of similar pranks and their legal outcomes.
  • Learn about the ethics of comedy in public spaces and its societal impact.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for legal professionals, comedians, sociologists, and anyone interested in the intersection of law, public perception, and humor in social settings.

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If the police had been called and he stayed, could he have been convicted of anything?
 
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I doubt it. He hasn't actually done anything wrong. Those people were scared on there own accord.
 
There are laws against disturbing the peace though, which this could fall under.

These are some HILARIOUS reactions though. I love it.
 
Too bad Chasers War on Everything has finished.
 
I am pretty sure there are laws against 'pretending' to rob a place. Depending on the wording he could be charged under the same law. In essence he intentionally made these people believe they were being robbed.

I think at least some of it may have been faked though. I can't imagine so many people freaking out like that just because some weirdo walks in with a stalking on his head. Since they're in england the likelihood that he would have had a gun was pretty slim too.
 
Don't try this at home guys. My wife just flattened me with a baseball bat and called 911 with the other hand.
 
Since they're in england the likelihood that he would have had a gun was pretty slim too.

Ah no. Australia.
 
Most places have laws against faking a crime. That vid is funny but that guy is stupid. He might get shot and if he did, his shooter would most likely be acquitted.
 
TheStatutoryApe said:
Since they're in england the likelihood that he would have had a gun was pretty slim too.

Can you really not tell an English accent and an Australian accent apart?
 
  • #10
He wasn't faking a crime or pretending anything. He was taking advantage of the absurdity of their reactions by exploiting their fears. The worst he has done is disturb the peace by not conforming socially.

I would think the guy following him around with a camera would be something of a giveaway to his prank.
 
  • #11
TheStatutoryApe said:
Since they're in england the likelihood that he would have had a gun was pretty slim too.

Hahaha! No, they're in Australia which, as you probably know, is in Central Europe.
 
  • #12
Huckleberry said:
He wasn't faking a crime or pretending anything. He was taking advantage of the absurdity of their reactions by exploiting their fears.

Fears of what? A crime?
 
  • #13
Huckleberry said:
He wasn't faking a crime or pretending anything.
Yeah, he really is. Wearing a stocking over one's head is only done by criminals. He might be telling people in the video he does it because its cold and he likes the look, but that doesn't make it true.

It would be a better experiment* if he wore a ski mask, but if it really were cold outside, he might not get the same reaction. And that just wouldn't make for good TV.


*It's not an experiment, it's just a TV stunt.
 
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  • #14
cristo said:
Can you really not tell an English accent and an Australian accent apart?

Oops. I wasn't paying too close of attention.
 
  • #15
cristo said:
Can you really not tell an English accent and an Australian accent apart?

Can you tell an American accent from a Canadian one? Be honest; I'll test you.
 
  • #16
negitron said:
Can you tell an American accent from a Canadian one? Be honest; I'll test you.

Depends where in America. But anyway, that's unfair since the American and Canadian accent are way closer to each other than the British and Australian. The equivalent question would be can you tell an Australian from a New Zealand accent.
 
  • #17
cristo said:
...the American and Canadian accent are way closer to each other than the British and Australian.

Not to most American ears. See how many think the Geico gecko speaks with an Aussie accent, rather than Cockney as is the actual case.
 
  • #18
russ_watters said:
He might be telling people in the video he does it because its cold and he likes the look, but that doesn't make it true.

Right, but it doesn't make it false, either. I don't know, it just doesn't seem right to me that one could be convicted of a crime for wearing a stocking over one's head.
 
  • #19
Look, he could've been convicted, but they have good lawyers working for them. Its like taking a replica gun to a shop, even though it doesn't actually work, its as bad as taking in a real one.
 
  • #20
Blenton said:
Look, he could've been convicted, but they have good lawyers working for them. Its like taking a replica gun to a shop, even though it doesn't actually work, its as bad as taking in a real one.

What's wrong with taking a gun into a store? My father took his handgun everywhere when he went out. He never got arrested or had people dive out of the way when he went to buy something.
 
  • #21
Pupil said:
Right, but it doesn't make it false, either.
Now you're just playing games. We know it is false.
I don't know, it just doesn't seem right to me that one could be convicted of a crime for wearing a stocking over one's head.
I didn't say he should be arrested/convicted, I just said it's a stupid and pointless stunt.
 
  • #22
russ_watters said:
Now you're just playing games. We know it is false.

WE know it's false; the people he approached in the stores did not.
 
  • #23
russ_watters said:
... I just said it's a stupid and pointless stunt.

I wouldn't say it was pointless -- I got a laugh out of it.

Here is a stunt they pulled which did end up with them being arrested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdnAaQ0n5-8"

Enjoy!
 
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  • #24
negitron said:
Can you tell an American accent from a Canadian one? Be honest; I'll test you.

I just rewatched it and it was pretty obvious. I was drunk and tired earlier and not really paying much attention.
 
  • #25
Pupil said:
Right, but it doesn't make it false, either. I don't know, it just doesn't seem right to me that one could be convicted of a crime for wearing a stocking over one's head.

Unless the cops found him a nuisance its not likely he would have actually been arrested. But he was obviously doing this as a prank and not because his ears were cold.
 
  • #26
LOL, I just watched that video. IT WAS PRICELESS.
 
  • #27
negitron said:
WE know it's false; the people he approached in the stores did not.
Exactly!
matt.o said:
I wouldn't say it was pointless -- I got a laugh out of it.
Ok, if his intent was humor only, then he succeeded. If his intent was to make a point about profiling, he failed.
 
  • #28
He could have hurt someone or himself.
 
  • #29
Yes you can, although it is most likely from local laws. I think it is for inducing panic.

My friends and I were in a goofy mood a few years ago and decided to dress up as super heros and go about our town. We ended up running into a sheriff in a mini mart who warned us about inducing panic (I can't remember what the exact term was, but that is the jist of it).
 
  • #30
That was great.

He probably could have been arrested, but that's because people are dumb and people make the laws.

P.S. The Geico gecko doesn't speak with an Australian accent? What? You just blew my ****ing mind, dude.
 

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