Whenever you watch some kind of TV programme, and you really get into it, you begin to think that maybe it's possible to replicate what the star of the show is doing.
Prison Break? Sick, if I'm ever in the nick it'll be a piece of cake to get out. Walking Dead? Safe, sorted when it comes to a zombie apocalypse. Breaking Bad? Great, if all else goes to pot I can just make crystal meth.
It's how TV works, really. But, as many people will know, it doesn't always go to plan.
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Mohammed Ali, from Liverpool, was arrested after he bought what he thought was Ricin from a the 'Dark Web' after watching too much Breaking Bad. The poison, used on a few occasions across the series by Walter White, is an almost untraceable poison made from caster beans, which featured throughout the hit US series.
Apparently, Ali was intrigued by Ricin after seeing it on the popular show and wanted to test it, stating he was merely curious about the effects. However, he purchased 500mg of the powder - enough to kill 1,400 people.
Credit: PA/ Greater Manchester Police
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Unfortunately for Ali, his plan wasn't quite up to the standards of Heisenberg, as he was actually buying the illegal powder from an undercover FBI agent. He was sent a harmless powder in place of actual Ricin, and was then arrested with the intent to buy the illegal substance. Five small capsules of the harmless powder, almost identical to the ones in Breaking Bad, were concealed inside a toy car and delivered to Ali's home.
When in the process of buying the poison, Ali asked the seller, 'How do I test this Ricin?' and was told the best way to do so would be to test on a rodent.
After further searches through Ali's internet history, there were entries such as 'pocket-sized pets', 'animal rescue centres' and searches for chinchillas. It really puts deleting PornHub off your internet history into perspective.
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Shortly after his online purchase, Ali had made a to-do list on his computer which included the entries 'paid Ricin guy' and 'get pet to murder', the court heard.
Ali was convicted for attempted possession of a chemical weapon and was given an 8 year sentence in prison and a harsh reminder that he is no Walter White.
On the other hand, this lady may have watched too much Better Call Saul.
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Karen Bennett used skills she'd learned from TV to win a legal court case against police.
She wasn't watching AMC's spin off from Breaking Bad, but instead Miss Marple.
The hairdresser was given a ticket by police after they claimed she was driving without a seat belt. She was offered a driver's awareness course, but declined, taking it to court to try and prove officers wrong.
Credit: SWNS
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She chose to represent herself during the trial, offering photographic evidence and cross-examining a police officer.
Bennett was inspired by and even learned skills from Agatha Christie's character, Miss Marple, walking out of court cleared within 10 minutes.
"The only experience of a court I have got is television programmes like Miss Marple," she said. "I thought we would be in an office and police would read their statement out and then I would read mine.
"But it was in court and I had to cross-examine a policeman.
"I wrote exactly what happened that day and took my own photographs of how I sat in the car. I said to [the police officer] 'could you tell me exactly where you were parked'?"
Credit: SWNS
She continued: "When she told me her position I knew 100 per cent she couldn't have seen me properly.
"The magistrates said the evidence was 'inconclusive' and the evidence I prepared for the court was exceptional and they completely cleared me."
Anyone else fancy getting into a bit of trouble just to see if this works for them, too?
Featured Image Credit:Topics: court