Better he learn what the system is like while young. With media attention on his arrest he's likely to be unmolested.
There's no alternative where he was safe, just ones where the risk wasn't realized. Now he'll know what many complacent people never realize - how fragile his life is and how easily 'evidence' against him is created as necessary.
Not that it matters... In the end, it looks like the real Topiary is in a different country altogether from where the arrest was made.
Absolutely hilarious.
How long before the police discover their mistake, I wonder?