Man behind Willy Wonka event that 'left children in tears' exposed as sex pest who referred to woman as his 'prey'
WATCH: Nana Akua calls on the police to work on 'serious crime'
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The man behind a botched Willy Wonka event which left children in tears has been outed as a sex pest.
Billy Coull, 36, who made headlines around the world after footage of his low-budget Glasgow Roald Dahl-themed exhibit went viral, has been listed on the sex offenders' register for sending a barrage of sexual messages to a female victim.
Coull's lawyer had said the abuse followed a decline in his mental health after his notorious event garnered worldwide ridicule.
The experience, marketed as "a place where chocolate dreams become reality", turned out to be a sparsely decorated warehouse with a smattering of decorations, one Oompa-Loompa and "uninterested" actors.
Just weeks after his event ended in disaster, Coull started to contact his victim online
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But it was called off in just hours - with police arriving to quell crowds - after furious parents complained that their children had been offered half cups of lemonade and single jelly beans in "little more than an abandoned, empty warehouse".
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that weeks after his event ended in disaster, Coull started to contact his victim online.
The 36-year-old repeatedly sent explicit images and messages to her, despite being told to stop.
One of the texts stated that Coull was a "wolf" and that she was his "prey".
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Children were left in tears by Coull's pop-up Willy Wonka experience
XHe had contacted his victim over WhatsApp, Snapchat and a fake Facebook account, where he used "sexual language" and referred to her as "sexy", "sugar lips" and "my wee charm".
He was reported to the police after the "prey" message, in which he had written: "I'm the wolf and you are my prey, I will get you."
Neil Stewart, defending Coull, told the sentencing hearing: "He has been distressed with the proceedings and will never do something of this nature again."
Sheriff Mark Maguire, sentencing, said that the custodial threshold had been passed by Coull, but he was able to impose an "alternative to custody" on him.
The event had gone viral on social media for failing to meet expectations
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Coull had earlier pleaded guilty to engaging in a course of criminal behaviour which was abusive.
The ex-charity worker was sentenced to 120 hours' unpaid work, and has been placed under supervision for a year, and put on the sex offenders' register for the same amount of time.
Sheriff Maguire added: "She told you to desist from using sexual language but despite this, you sent intimate images and messages of an alarming character.
"She told you to stop and you failed to desist and sent further messages of a menacing nature."
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