The creator of the infamous Willy Wonka experience added to the list of sex offenders

19 November 2024, 15:01 | Updated: November 19, 2024, 3:11 p.m

The man behind the disastrous Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow has been added to the sex offenders register after bombarding a woman with explicit images.

The event went viral on social media after duped parents were forced to pay £35 for tickets to the “immersive” experience, which was branded a “sh**show”.

Now promoter Billy Coull, 36, has been found guilty of abusive behavior after repeatedly sending the messages, referring to himself as a “wolf” and the woman as his “prey”.

He admitted the offense at Glasgow Sheriff Court and said the Willy Wonka reaction had taken a toll on his mental health.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard the former charity worker sent a message to the woman from a Facebook account under a false name.

He continued to message her on Snapchat and WhatsApp, repeatedly referring to her as “sexy”, “sugar lips” and “my little charm”, despite her asking him to stop.

Coull then began sending her pictures of himself in his underwear as well as more intimate pictures.

In court, he admitted the offense and said his mental health had “declined” due to setbacks from the Willy Wonka event.

One message read: “I am the wolf and you are my prey, I will get you.”

Coull, of Anniesland, Glasgow, was arrested after the messages were reported to police.

Sheriff Mark Maguire, sentencing Coull, said: “She asked you to stop and you failed to desist and sent further messages of a threatening nature.

“She told you to refrain from using sexual language, but despite this you sent intimate images and messages of an alarming nature.”

The judge said the custodial limit had been exceeded, but he was able to impose an alternative to custody.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a year, given 120 hours of unpaid work and supervised for a year.

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With Coull at the helm, House of Illuminati put together the event at the Box Hub in Whiteinch, Glasgow.

The experience was described as a “paradise of sweets” with an “enchanted garden containing giant candies and mysterious sculptures” and was advertised with whimsical and luminous AI-generated images.

It also promised live performances and an “immersive adventure” for attendees, including a “twilight tunnel” and “fantasy lab” where “the boundaries between reality and fantasy merge harmoniously”.

Police Scotland were even called to the event, where they said “advice was given”.

It has since spawned a Channel Five documentary and a musical version.

Many who had expected a cute Roald Dahl-inspired event were outraged, describing the experience as a “waste of money”.

The event went viral online and the event was ridiculed thousands of times.

Actors who were hired to play characters as part of the show have since spoken out, revealing they were left “humiliated”.