Social media prankster Mizzy, real name Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, has been spared jail time after he stole a woman’s phone while riding a green Lime e-bike in Central London on June 15, 2022. He grabbed the phone from her hand as he passed by.

Amy Gault, prosecuting, stated that police officers in the vicinity pursued the 17-year-old O’Garro after observing him cycling in a manner suggestive of evading something. He was subsequently apprehended. However, today he escaped a return to jail due to being a teenager at the time of the offense.

During the court proceedings, prosecutor Ms. Gault recounted: “On June 15, 2022, around 1pm, the victim was walking down Highbury New Park, texting on her phone. She sensed someone on her right side; they grabbed the phone from her right hand and rode off on a bicycle.” Ms. Gault further mentioned that the woman’s phone was later found in a hedge. She also read statements describing the impact on victim Ruby Hewitt, who expressed feeling “violated,” “scared,” and “angry.”

O’Garro, from Hackney in east London, denied stealing the black iPhone 13 Pro Max valued at £1,000 from Ms. Hewitt in mid-June the previous year but was convicted of the offense in April. Appearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court dressed in a black suit with a white tie and shirt, O’Garro, through his lawyer, stated that he had “changed his life around” since his time in prison. He had previously served 18 weeks in a young offenders’ institute starting last November for violating a court order that prohibited him from filming people without consent, though he was released after six weeks. In April, Mizzy claimed he had reformed and was enrolled in a construction skills training program.

District Judge Michael Oliver imposed a community order on him and directed him to compensate his victim with £500. His lawyer, Keren Weekes, informed the court: “Mr O’Garro acknowledges the gravity of his actions. He expresses remorse today. At the time of the incident, Mr O’Garro was a youth.” She further stated: “Importantly, in November of last year, he received a custodial sentence. He found this period extremely challenging, to say the least. It was a very dark time in his life and had a significant impact on his mental health.” Mizzy gained notoriety online for “pranks” such as entering strangers’ homes, taking an elderly woman’s dog, destroying library books, and asking members of the public, “do you want to die.”