A Romanian migrant in Derby, England, has been sentenced to three months in prison for lying to his followers that he was “running for his life” from rioters. Police reportedly saw Dimitri Stoica’s Tiktok livestream last Wednesday and deployed police to ensure he was safe.
The riots were sparked by the murder of three little girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport last month. The perpetrator, 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, is a British-born son of migrants from Rwanda.
According to LBC, on August 7 at around 10 p.m., police heard Dimitri Stoica falsely claim that he was being chased by right-wing extremists during a TikTok livestream.
“I am running, bro, because they are running after me. They’re coming. Everyone get back,” he exclaimed to his 700 followers.
Concerned about his safety, the Derbyshire Constabulary sent officers to check on Stoica, who claimed that the comments made during the livestream were a “joke.”
As a result, Stoica was arrested and charged him with “one count of sending a false communication with intent to cause harm contrary to Section 179 of the Online Safety Act 2023.”
In addition to sentencing Stoica to three months in prison, Prosecutor Seema Mistry accused him of “trying to stir up racial hatred by implying he was being chased,” and is requiring him to pay a fine of just under $200 USD.
“As a force, we absolutely respect and protect the rights of individuals to legally express their views,” explained the force’s assistant chief constable, Michelle Shooter, adding that an individual’s “right to freedom can be limited” when it comes to preventing “crime and disorder.”
“As has been made clear by forces across the country, any criminal actions relating to the disorder, whether they be in person or online, will be dealt with quickly and robustly.”
Stoica’s false claims come shortly after The Publica journalist Jack Hadfield was robbed and brutally assaulted while covering the protests in Southport on July 30 following a vigil for the three little girls murdered by Rudakubana.
Although Hadfield was eventually able to seek treatment, his tooth was chipped after receiving an unprovoked blow to the face by a rioter who recognized he was a journalist and demanded he delete his footage.
“I was set upon by one man, who proceeded to hit me repeatedly in the head, face, and body,” explained Hadfield to Fox News. “I started running further down the road, coming to the crossroads of Hawkshead St. and St. Luke’s Road, where a far larger crowd of approximately a couple of hundred people or so were still gathered.”
“At that point, I was surrounded by 10–15 men, who I attempted to explain to that I wasn’t part of the mainstream media. They demanded that I delete images and videos off of my phone, which I did.”
Despite initially struggling to find a way to the hospital, a friend eventually picked him up and drove him to Manchester Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency Department to be seen by a doctor.
Although doctors determined he did not suffer any grievous bodily harm, in addition to chipping his tooth, he suffered bruising on his face, hands, and lips.
A GiveSendGo has been launched to help offset the cost of Hadfield’s medical expenses.
