These parents faced jail time after pulling this prank on their kids pic.twitter.com/jjIjl27YmA
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) October 30, 2024
Synopsis :
Posted on September 12, 2017
“Parents Who “Pranked” Their Kids On YouTube Sentenced To Five Years’ Probation For Child Neglect
A psychologist found that Michael and Heather Martin’s children suffered “mental injury” because of the viral “kid pranks” videos made by their parents.Michael and Heather Martin had been charged with two counts each of child neglect after their “kids prank” videos sparked outrage and allegations of child abuse.
Some of the videos depicted the Martins yelling at their children until they cried, screaming obscenities at their children, and — in one instance — shoving a child who then got a bloody nose.
According to a negotiated plea agreement between the couple’s defense attorney and the Frederick County State’s Attorney, the Martins entered Alford pleas — a special kind of guilty plea that means that while they are not necessarily admitting what they did was legally wrong, they agreed that the state has enough evidence to prove guilt going forward.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services began investigating the Martins after several citizen complaints about the couple’s YouTube videos that appeared to show their children in emotional distress.
In May, the couple lost custody of Cody and Emma, who are Michael Martin’s biological children and Heather Martin’s stepchildren.
Under the terms of their probation, the Martins are not allowed to have contact with Cody and Emma, unless dictated by a judge in their ongoing custody case. They are also not allowed to post videos featuring Cody and Emma on social media.
Cody, the youngest child in the family, was a frequent target of his parents’ recorded pranks and appeared to be the most resistant to them, according to popular YouTube commentator Philip DeFranco, who was among the first to suggest that DaddyOFive’s videos amounted to possible child abuse.
In a now-deleted video, Cody was seen crying hysterically after Heather Martin falsely accused him of pouring ink on his bedroom carpet, called him a liar, and hurled obscenities at the 10-year-old.
Sources:
- UNILAD – Parents faced jail after pulling savage prank on their kids
- Pop Culture – Parents Sentenced to 5 Years Probation Over Controversial Videos
- The Independent – Parents Who “Pranked” Their Kids On YouTube Sentenced To Five Years’ Probation For Child Neglect
- WUSA9 – Parents Sentenced to 5 Years Probation Over Controversial Videos
h/t Dogsbollocks