Video footage from the World Snooker Championship being held in Sheffield, England, has sparked outrage on social media, prompting an investigation by local police.
An X user who goes by the handle @BritisherPax49 uploaded a video clip on the platform, formerly Twitter, showing a man biting the ear of a young boy in the audience, unaware that he's being filmed. Moments later, the man realizes he's on TV and the pair is seen waving out to the camera.
The video instantly went viral on the platform, racking up more than 11.6 million views and thousands of comments with users alleging the man in the video to be a "sicko" and a "pedophile" who they believe may be "grooming" the child.
While some called for the man to be locked up, others drew the attention of the South Yorkshire Police, to find the man and investigate further.
"One of the worst videos I've seen," wrote one user. "There's something inherently evil about this and he's been caught red-handed on live TV. Sickening. Look at the deviant expression on his face before he notices the camera is on him and how fast it changes. Pure evil."
"That is absolutely shocking," commented another. "That poor child. Find this man and protect that child now!"
"This is disgusting," opined a third user. "Makes me wonder what he's done to that boy already, kid didn't even flinch when touched like that. Lock this sicko up immediately!"
In response to the video, the South Yorkshire police tweeted saying they were aware of the video and are looking into it.
The 2024 World Snooker Championship (officially the 2024 Cazoo World Snooker Championship) is a professional snooker tournament that is taking place from 20 April to 6 May 2024 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, the 48th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship has been staged at the venue.
