Why do you keep presupposing that a prank is a defense? I never said it is! You keep making false accusations against me alleging that I am defending the prankster when I never was. It is you who brought up the "its a prank, bro" defense, not me.

My entire point, as I had noted too clearly, is that a prank is not theft. Despite the causation, for which there could exist disparate charges, the person cannot reasonably be charged with theft in a just world (unless additional evidence is presented). Please go back and read the top level comment by silexia which forms the root of the discussion.