Prankster faces six years in jail for putting porn on giant electronic billboard

A prankster is facing six years in jail after being arrested for hacking into a giant electronic billboard to broadcast a porn film to commuters. Samudera Al Hakam Ralial was detained in his office after he set the film Watch Tokyo Hot running for 10 minutes on the roadside advertising screen in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The 24-year-old IT analyst has admitted he was behind the prank after spotting the log-in details on the screen, police said on Wednesday. However, he has told them the steamy clip was broadcast by accident.

The suspect claims he worked alone. But we are still investigating whether he was working alone, whether he had a particular motive, or whether he was just fooling around.

Jakarta police chief Mochamad Iriawan

The giant screens, known as videotrons, are a familiar feature in the city. But access to pornographic websites is blocked in Indonesia, while romantic scenes in films and television programmes are often blurred or cut altogether by state censors. After Friday’s hack, the power was quickly shut off to the videotron – but not before scenes of a couple engaged in a steamy tryst were captured on motorists’ phones and went viral on social media. Police say Ralial could be prosecuted under an electronic transaction law which carries a maximum prison sentence of six years and a fine or pornography laws, which carry a prison sentence of up to 12 years.