Vitalii Sediuk

Vitalii Mikolayovych Sediuk (Віталій Миколайович Седюк; born 14 November 1988) is a Ukrainian self-described prankster.

He was formerly a media reporter.

He has physically assaulted a number of celebrities at events such as film premieres and awards ceremonies.

On several of these occasions, he has gained access to otherwise restricted areas with the use of press credentials from his former employer, Ukrainian TV channel 1+1.

In interviews, he has denied his conduct amounts to stalking and has stated he is not "crazy".

"I was at the end of the line signing autographs, when out the corner of my eye I saw someone stage-diving over the barrier at me. I took a step back; this guy had latched onto my lapels. I looked down and the nutter was trying to bury his face in my crotch, so I cracked him twice in the back of the head -- not too hard -- but enough to get his attention, because he did let go. I think he was then just grabbing for a hand hold because the guys were on him, and he reached up and caught my glasses."

In the aftermath of the attack, prosecutors announced they would seek an unprecedented court order banning Sediuk from any events connected with the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.

Sediuk was also charged with unlawful activity at a sporting, theatrical event, or exhibition, relating to his 2013 Oscars stunt, and prosecution for which had been deferred at the time of the incident on condition of his good behavior for three years.

Sediuk pled no contest to all charges and was sentenced to 20 days of community service, $440 in court costs, and ordered to undergo psychological counseling for one year.

Sediuk's attacks have generally not been well received in United States media.

The Los Angeles Times has described his escapades as having "a sinister quality," while The Hollywood Reporter has labeled him "a shameless attention fiend and mischief-maker."

In reporting on Sediuk's actions at the Cannes Film Festival, The Huffington Post, while noting that Sediuk calls himself a prankster, asked "Is anyone really laughing?"

Vulture has described Sediuk as "Borat without the wit or satire", while Uproxx has called Sediuk a "creep", and The Wire has referred to him as "a reprehensible piece of human garbage".

Non-American press have also given Sediuk a cool reception.

The edition of GQ in the United Kingdom has said Sediuk confirms "why Ukrainian comedy has yet to take over the world" and the Toronto Star has referred to him as an "unfunny prankster".

Sediuk's criminal defense attorney, Anthony Willoughby, has defended Sediuk in media reports, and insisted he is not naturally prone to violence.

Christa Scherck, a self-described publicist who has previously worked with Sediuk, has echoed Willoughby's assertion that Sediuk is not normally violent, also adding that he "does not have a drug problem", and "is not a pervert", but does have, however, "real issues that need to be dealt with".

Sediuk was held in the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail after failing to post $20,000 bail, and was indicted on 30 May 2014 on charges of assault and battery.