Willy Wonka Experience Founder Added to Sex Offender Registry
Glasgow's infamous Willy Wonka-themed "experience" faces more controversy as its creator becomes a registered sex offender.
The BBC reports that William Coull harassed his victim between March 26 and July 2 by sending sexually explicit pictures and texts. He first texted her from a secret Facebook account under a fake name and then began messaging her on Snapchat and WhatsApp, calling her pet names such as "sexy," "sugar lips" and "my wee charm." She asked him to stop but he continued.
In a text, he appeared to threaten to commit a sexual act without consent, allegedly writing, "I'm the wolf and you are my prey, I will get you." Coull additionally sent sexually explicit photos. One of the messages on Snapchat featured him holding his belt, captioned, "Do you want me to do more?" Though the woman ignored his messages, Coull sent her a Snapchat of himself stripping to his underwear.
The woman reported his behavior to the police, leading to his arrest. While sentencing Coull, Sheriff Mark Maguire pointed out to him, "She told you to stop and you failed to desist and sent further messages of a menacing nature. She told you to desist from using sexual language but despite this, you sent intimate images and messages of an alarming character."
Due to his behavior, Coull will be on the sex offenders register for a year. Additionally, he was sentenced to 120 hours of community service and will be under supervision for a year.
STV News reports that Coull's lawyer claimed that his client had suffered a "decline in his mental health" following the "significant media attention" that the Willy Wonka Experience received.
Willy's Chocolate Experience went viral in March, around the time of his indecent behavior, as an alleged scam. The Glasgow-based Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-themed event charged £35 a ticket, with promises of an "enchanted garden," a "twilight tunnel" and an "imagination lab."
However, when attendees arrived, they found a bare-looking warehouse with limited decorations and barely any candy. While the event did have performers take on characters loosely based Roald Dahl's—and the random addition of a masked villain called The Unknown—the actors were given AI-generated scripts that made little sense. Parents revolted and clips made their way to social media, turning it into a viral phenomenon. Following the backlash, Coull promised those who purchased tickets that they would be refunded.
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