Internet ‘prankster’ who kicked Asda worker dressed as Spider-Man black belt martial arts champion

An internet ‘prankster’ who dressed as Spider-Man kicked and beat a supermarket employee unconscious can today be exposed as a martial arts champion.

33-year-old thug Josh McDonald sickened hundreds of thousands online when video surfaced of his violent assault during a costumed invasion of an Asda by self-proclaimed ‘influencers’.

McDonald was part of a group of superheroes that also included Ali-G, Little Red Riding Hood and a one-legged amateur boxer who first dressed as Matt Lucas’s faux-disabled “Andy” from TV Little Britain – complete with “bald wig” – although he at one point swapped for Goldilocks’ braids in the chaos.

Yesterday a judge heard that McDonald actually admitted bodily harm and violent disorder in the disturbing incident – which was filmed and streamed online by some of the mob involved.

And the Daily Mail can reveal that McDonald is a mixed martial arts black belt who won a number of fights after training at the Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy near his home in Northampton.

He boasted online that he was a contender for the 2016 Iska kickboxing world championship in Stuttgart, Germany.

McDonald’s dreams of sporting stardom are now in tatters after he and four others admitted their involvement in the violent attack on Asda in Clapham Junction, south London, one evening in July 2021.

The ringleader of the alleged prank was George O’Boyle, 30, who was dressed as Ali G as he repeatedly threatened to hit staff as he led the mob of his online ‘followers’, also in costume, into the supermarket.

What he had announced as a fun stunt turned increasingly violent – with several Asda employees beaten, beaten, kicked and left bloodied with metal bars after the mob broke into the store’s storage area.

When supervisor Lauren Scott protested with ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, Sophie Roberts, 19, as she stormed back onto the shop floor, the teenager – also a kickboxer and who trained at the same academy as McDonald – punched her in the face.

As Miss Scott tried to defend herself, McDonald marched up to her in his Spider-Man costume and kicked and knocked her unconscious, before proudly walking away.

Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court was set to begin a four-week trial against the near-riots, but heard yesterday that all key participants had admitted guilt. They will be sentenced next month.

In addition to McDonald’s guilty plea, O’Boyle, of Surbiton, South London, admitted both violent disorder and assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH).

‘Little Red Riding Hood’ Roberts, from Northampton, pleaded guilty yesterday to ABH attack on Miss Scott and public disorder with threat of violence.

One-legged amateur boxer Rikki McKenzie, 37, also from Northampton, had dressed up as fake disabled ‘Andy’ from the TV sketch show Little Britain during the Asda invasion, complete with a ‘bald wig’ – although at one point he switched it for Goldilocks braids.

As stuff struggled to unwittingly force him out of the store, he fell out of his wheelchair.

McKenzie was back in his wheelchair in court yesterday when he admitted to committing a public order offense that included the threat of violence.

Mark Pettigrew, 38, from West London, had joined the Asda chaos, dressed in uniform as ‘Army Man’, and was involved in an attack on two workers.

He was not present in court, but the judge was told that he admitted to public disorder with violent threats.

O’Boyle’s girlfriend and mother of his two children, Katie Pickard, 31, from South London, was dressed as a nun while Charlie Jay Sharp, 19, from Northampton, had gone to the supermarket as ‘Onesie Girl’ in a purple onesie.

But prosecutor Nicholas Mather told the court he was not going forward with the charges against the pair, saying: “They were certainly with the Asda and somehow involved – but whether they used or threatened personal violence is a moot point , and at some point they can be seen on videos restraining those involved in violence.”

They were formally found not guilty of violent disorder charges.

McDonald, O’Boyle and Roberts all face five years in prison, the maximum sentence for ABH, as well as violent disorder.

Public disorder with threat of violence can lead to six months.

O’Boyle, who calls himself “Gee Money” online, had more than 50,000 followers on Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube. aisle.

O’Boyle and McDonald videotaped it remotely in which Roberts is ordered to sneak into a store at night, and laughing as she yelled and cursed at the staff who caught her and asked her to leave.

In the Clapham Junction incident, which was announced online and everyone was welcome to join, other participants included a Batman and a human fly. Many were filming and live streaming with their phones on selfie sticks as the increasingly uglier incident unfolded.

The unemployed McDonald, who claims to be an “athlete/entertainer,” was described by his martial arts coach as an “elite multi-champion athlete” who was “locked up and loaded.”

The praise for him continued: “Josh has represented our country in our sport, won a bronze medal and became a champion in the southern area. World bronze medalist. True warrior.’

O’Boyle, who describes himself as “an outgoing young salesperson,” declares online, “Supermarkets are my playground.”

He had prior criminal convictions for damages for other stunts, but had offered ad slots with his videos and planned to sell merchandise.

Roberts also has over 20,000 followers on Instagram.

McKenzie received donations online following a £2,000 appeal to pay for a specialist wheelchair to help improve his boxing.