The ex-soldier, who has more than 110 convictions for arson and violent attacks, ended up in London after he lost a TikTok battle and was dared to fly to the English capital from Belfast.
However, almost on arrival he got involved in an altercation near Westminster Bridge and was arrested by the Metropolitan Police, who had him sectioned at a hospital for men in south London.
Astonishingly, he has been allowed to not only keep his mobile phones but has also been allowed to continue filming live from inside the unit.
Some of his videos show medical staff at the hospital as well as many of the communal spaces including the gym, where former boxer Burns has been working out every day.
James Burns TikTok
He’s made videos of himself working on the pads and told his 28,000 followers he was being kept there until August 14.
As reported here before, Burns has always been open about his battles with mental illness but it’s surely questionable whether he should be allowed to film himself live from a mental hospital and get involved in live TikTok battles which often stress him out.
But Burns has discovered he can monetise his current struggles with boosted views and financial gifts and has hosted more than 100 live TikTok sessions from the unit.
He has been ordering sports clothes online from a well-known retailer and has the clobber delivered almost on a daily basis and he even bought himself a crown and some giant sunglasses and calls himself the ‘King of TikTok’.
On July 19 — one of his first days at the hospital — Burns made £851 from live events and has been consistently making more than £300 every day, including July 24, 25 and 26 when he made £560, £614 and £820 respectively.
James Burns TikTok
He continued posting live videos this week, when he made threats to people who challenged him, revealed he was abusive to staff and claimed he was being kept against his will for “no reason”.
He told another Belfast TikToker, with whom he has been in a dispute: “I’m coming after you, you watch, there’s nowhere to hide… I will get you face-to-face and we’ll see who the big lad is then. I’m going to humble you… you’re nothing but a scumbag, I’ll see you soon… d***head.”
Burns also organised a number of raffles, two of which he won himself, as well as organising a boxing fight with another TikTok user.
He also casually revealed he threatened hospital staff he would “turn this whole place upside down” if they didn’t open the door after midnight so he could accept the delivery he ordered from McDonald’s.
In one public video on Tuesday, Burns said: “This is madness, they’ve taken me out of society, you lose your rights and your liberty. It’s harder in here than nine months in segregation in prison.
“I’m feeling really good and I’ll just keep on pushing to get out of here. I keep taking my medication, there’s nothing more I can do.
James Burns
News in 90 Seconds – Aug 7th
“I’m able to get out to go to Costa and then Sainsbury’s to get my protein shakes and have a smoke but I’m escorted.
“The police put me in here. I’ve done nothing at all. I can’t wait to get out of here and go home. I can’t wait to get back to Belfast, to go to the sunbeds and take a dander into town.
“I survived Afghanistan, I survived eight years in jail and I can survive this.”
We can reveal Burns — who earlier this year was in court after he walked into a hospital while off his face on cocaine with a hammer “in case he was attacked by Muslims” — flew to London on a ‘dare’.
In the last couple of months Burns, from his home in Belfast, has been building up a following on TikTok and has been making a significant sum of cash with his ‘live’ videos where he often does head-to-head battles in search of cash gifts.
He even used previous articles about him in the Sunday World as props in his videos to boost his support.
A TikTok battle, also known as a ‘PK’ or ‘player knockout’, is a feature within the social media platform’s live streaming function where two creators go head-to-head in a competition to receive the most virtual gifts from viewers within a set time, typically five minutes.
These gifts are bought with coins within the app. The streamer who receives the most gifts in the allotted time wins the battle.
A source who knows Burns told the Sunday World: “Burns is making fortune on TikTok. As far as I know he’s on benefits so hopefully he’s declaring all his earnings so it’s all above board.”
James Burns — until he was caught ‘tooled-up’ in the Royal Victoria Hospital — had been a lead protester outside business premises connected to Jonny Smyth, the man currently in jail in Spain waiting to see if he will face charges in connection with the murder of Belfast man John George.
Burns was seen at a number of protests campaigning for the return of Mr George who was murdered in Alicante in December but whose body was not recovered until January. Burns is flagged as being high risk by the authorities in Northern Ireland because of his propensity to use violence.
Previously he has assaulted multiple cops who tried to arrest him — head-butting one.
And once when he was arrested he threatened to cut off the head of his partner and leave it on her parents’ doorstep if she revoked his bail address.
With his former army training, the fact he was a boxer and also because he’s partial to drink and drugs which previous courts have said make him even more volatile, cops have to send back-up if they want to lift him.
Burns, who lives in Melrose Street in Belfast but previously with an address in Mallusk, pleaded guilty to the hospital hammer incident and was sentenced on March 21 to four months in jail for the hammer and one month for the cocaine and prescription drugs.
James Burns TikTok
He has been in and out of prison for serious offending including arson, rioting and a series of domestic abuse convictions.
He has told courts before how he served with the commandos in Afghanistan and was “significantly traumatised by the events he witnessed there”.
In January 2023, a police officer told Ballymena Magistrates Court Burns had been “flagged as a serial perpetrator of domestic violence”.
A restraining order was imposed after he set fire to two cars owned by his ex and her mother.
In 2015 Burns was jailed for St Patrick’s Day attacks on police and smashing his mother’s car.
The thug headbutted one of five officers it took to restrain him after they were called to his family home in Newtownabbey.
He was sentenced to four months after admitting charges of criminal damage, two counts of assault on police, and resisting arrest.
The court heard Burns was initially calm at the scene but then stated: “I’m going to kill each and every one of you.”
And in 2012 Burns damaged nine vans and a lorry at a dealership after rowing with his girlfriend.
The then 20-year-old, who joined the army straight out of school, was ordered to serve 200 hours of community service after he caused an estimated £2,700 worth of damage in the attack.
In 2017 Burns was part of a loyalist mob that rioted in north Belfast after an Orange Order march was banned from passing Ardoyne shops.
His family have spoken out that he needed help after he returned from the war a changed person.
In the last year he has said he had turned his life around after finding God and starting training in an east Belfast boxing gym — even winning a couple of semi-pro fights.