A British video gamer who faked a hostage situation so that another man suffered life-changing injuries after armed forces were tricked into shooting him has been sentenced in the first case of its kind in the UK.

Robert Walker McDade, 28, of coventry He was one of the men involved in the “beating” incident in February 2015.

The term means a serious criminal prank call to emergency services in order to incite panic and incite the deployment of armed response forces (SWAT teams) to neutralize a perceived threat.

Zachary Lee of Catonsville Marylandmet Walker-McDade while playing video games and messaged him saying he needed “someone to hit.”

The victim was Tyron Dobbs, and Lee gave his address to Walker McDade.

Walker-McDade then called a Maryland terrorism hotline impersonating Dobbs, explaining that he was armed and had three people detained and that he had several bombs ready.

He reported that the first hostage would be “executed within 15 minutes” unless he received $15,000 (£12,000) in cash.

Shot in the face

Believing the threat was real, a SWAT team responded to the address.

They then shot Mr Dobbs in the face and chest with plastic bullets, believing he was the instigator.

Mr Dobbs required facial reconstruction surgery after suffering several serious injuries.

A joint investigation by the Howard County Police Department, FBI and Interpol found the call was made from a Skype user’s home in Coventry, and they traced it to Walker-McDade’s address.

The UK does not recognize “assault” as a separate crime but, as in the US, the case was handled by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), resulting in Walker-McDade being charged and sentenced in the UK.

first words about beating in england

Walker-McDaid is the first person in the UK to be sentenced for offenses related to the “beating” phenomenon.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Warwick Crown Court after admitting perverting the course of justice.

The 28-year-old was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 compensation to Mr Dobbs.

Meanwhile, Li was sentenced to two years in prison in January 2018.

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‘More than a crude prank’

Hannah Sidaway, a specialist prosecutor at West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Assault is not just a crude prank but a serious crime that can have devastating consequences .

“Walker-McDade may not have intended to cause such serious harm, but by spreading fear and deceiving law enforcement into responding to a fictitious threat, he left an innocent man with life-changing injuries.”

Those who hide behind “online anonymity” and commit such crimes abroad “will not be able to escape justice,” she said.