'Urbexboy' Jonty Akari pleads guilty to unlawfully on premises charges - but must wait for sentence to find out if 'criminal'

A young aspiring photographer who broke into “dangerous” rooftop spaces of three major CBD high rise buildings has learned his fate in court. 

A young aspiring photographer, who broke into “dangerous” rooftop spaces of three major CBD high rise buildings, has avoided conviction for his “urban exploration” activities after telling a court he entered the buildings unlawfully to cope with his mental health issues. 

When police seized 19-year-old Jonty Akari’s phone following his arrest in March, they found images and videos of the teen hanging his legs off the side of multiple CBD rooftops after he managed to get through “usually locked” doors.

The Port Noarlunga man was arrested during police investigations following The Advertiser revealing the extraordinary lengths young people are going to for social media photos, as part of “urbex” or Urban exploring.

The Urban Dictionary describes urbexing as “the act of going to and exploring places that are not normally visited or often even accessible to the general public”.

Last month, Akari pleaded guilty to three counts of being unlawfully on premises.

The court previously heard video equipment and clothing items matching those seen in the videos were seized from Akari’s home and another property in Reynella.

In court documents, SA Police said the young man was unlawfully in three buildings across the city – King William St, Grenfell St and Gawler Pl – between March 26 and April 10, 2024.

During sentencing in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon, counsel for the teen said his client had unlawfully entered the roof spaces of the buildings because he was struggling with his mental health and used it as a form of “therapy”.

The court also heard the teen wanted to pursue a photography career in his future.

Jonty Akari, 19, has been charged after allegedly filming himself riding trains. Pictures: Facebook

Jonty Akari, 19, is seen leaving Adelaide Magistrates Court, where he has been charged with being unlawfully on premises.

The prosecutor said that although there were no signs of damage to the properties, the doors which he would have had to have entered the prohibited areas through were “usually locked, according to the owners of the buildings”.

She said Akari had entered extremely dangerous parts of the high-rises, including plant rooms and motor rooms where a lot of electrical equipment was housed. 

“There were also danger and no entry signs at the entrances of the areas,” she said.

Examples of the photos shared to social media. Picture: Supplied

Akari, who works casually as a cook at KFC, wrote a letter of apology to the court in which he expressed his “sincere remorse” for his crimes. 

Magistrate Patrick Hill said he believed the court process had shown Akari how dangerous his actions had been - actions that included dangling his legs off the side of the buildings and taking photos of people on the streets below.

He sentenced the teen to a good behaviour bond in the sum of $250, and did not impose a conviction. 

Akari did not comment outside court.