THE organiser behind the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience which went viral across the globe has claimed his life had been “ruined” by the event.

Billy Coull, the owner of House of Illuminati which organised the event, was met with anger from frustrated parents after the event at the Box Hub in Whiteinch last month.

Police officers were called to the event, with parents branding it a “farce” as tickets to attend cost up to £35 per person.

Rhyl Journal:

Despite promising a “paradise of sweet treats,” one parent told how their child had been left in tears at the event.

Coull has since told a Channel 5 documentary that he is not a “scam artist” and that he was “devastated” at how the event turned out.

“My life has been turned upside, my life is ruined,” he said.

He continued: “It’s not a nice feeling to be under the microscope. I was getting hundreds and hundreds calling me the most awful names saying I’m a villain, I’m a horrific dad, I’m better off dead, I should kill myself.

“I was devastated and I was sick to the pit of my tummy, I had a whole host of emotions.”

Coull claimed he wrote the script for the experience but that he did run it through AI to “check spelling, grammar and continuity” due to suffering from dyslexia.

He added: “Because of everything that had happened it ran into my personal life, I have lost my friends and the love of my life.

“I was made out to be the face of all evil. When genuinely that is really not the case.”

On refunds for the event, which some customers claim they are still to receive, he said: “I am not a scam artist, I am not a con man or anything like that.

“I have gone through the transactions individually, they are still ongoing, if people haven’t received a refund, I have gone through many emails and said to people if you’ve not had your refund, contact your bank as they may have processes in place to be able to help it.

“I genuinely done what I can.”