Men who used dating apps to lure victims then ambush them jailed for campaign of robberies

Video: West Midlands Police

Transcript

00:00This investigation comprised of multiple offences across several different forces, multiple

00:17victims and multiple offenders. The offences occurred between April 2023 and February 2024.

00:24Predominantly victims were targeted using a dating app called Grindr. So the victims

00:29were essentially lured into parks in the early hours of the morning where they were set upon

00:33by multiple offenders, assaulted by kicks and punches, threatened with weapons such as knives

00:40and received injuries such as fractured eye sockets and broken jaws. They then had property

00:46stolen and were forced to open their banking apps and had thousands of pounds taken out of their

00:51bank accounts. Some instances the victims were kept for several hours and then they had their

00:56cars stolen. The offenders were identified through CCTV, phone work and a financial investigation.

01:04Five offenders were arrested, two offenders pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and three

01:10were found guilty after a six-week trial. If you are a victim of this sort of crime or similar crime

01:16then please report it to the police. You will be supported, we will take it seriously and

01:21we'll be investigating thoroughly and we'll do our best to bring the offenders to justice.

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