The gang stole over £25,000 from his bank account
Five men have been convicted over an organised series of robberies targeting gay men through a dating app and stealing thousands of pounds.
The defendants used fake profiles on Grindr to lure four victims to parks in Birmingham where they were attacked, held captive and robbed.
Birmingham Crown Court heard they also faked injuries to target three further victims in quiet spots in Derby and Birmingham, robbing and attacking them when they stopped to help.
They also tricked a fourth victim into entering a van after promising him a lift home.
Their victims included two men as they walked home from a nightclub in the early hours of April 25, 2023.
The men were dragged into a grassy area where they were beaten and robbed at knifepoint.
The attackers demanded their phones and the passcodes for both their phones and banking apps. Approximately £200 in cash was also stolen.
One victim believed he was meeting a Grindr date called ‘Noah’ at the Golden Hillock Sports Ground car park in Birmingham.
But he was assaulted by three of the defendants who threatened to stab him.
They demanded his phone and the pin codes which they used to steal £8,730 from his bank account and credit card.
As the robbers left, they told the victim to stay where he was for an hour and that he would be stabbed if he moved before then. They then left taking his phone and his car with them.
Another victim believed he was meeting a Grindr date but was instead punched and pinned to the ground by the group.
They demanded his phone and wallet, threatening to stab him if he did not hand them over.
They then held the phone to his face to use facial recognition to access his banking apps.
They also demanded his pin code for his phone and bank cards.
The gang stole over £25,000 from his bank account and forced him to call the bank to say the transfer was legitimate.
As they held him captive, a few defendants left with his bank cards and withdrew £360 from the accounts.
On May 11, 2023, a cyclist was attacked at knifepoint at Golden Hillock Sports Ground car park, where he saw a man who asked for help, claiming that his mother had been stabbed.
When the victim tried to help, three of the defendants attacked him at knifepoint, threatening to stab him, if he did not do as he was told. They stole his phone, wallet and jewellery.
Another victim was lured to the same location on May 28, thinking he was meeting a man he had been speaking to on the dating app.
However, the group stole over £5,000 from his bank account and his van.
On July 11, another victim suffered the same fate when he was lured to the same car park via the dating app. The gang stole over £20,000 from his bank accounts at knifepoint.
Between April 25 and July 15, the group stole £73,406.10 from eight victims.
Victims were left with injuries including broken eye sockets, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken nose. Many of them required hospital treatment.
Demalji Hadza, Abubaker Alezawy, Ali Hassan, Wasim Omar and Mohammed Sharif were convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Georgina Davies, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“These defendants specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community to rob them of their money and belongings.”
“They may have thought that the victims would not report the offences, but we were able to hold all five defendants accountable for their actions.
“We worked very closely with the police to gather all the evidence against the defendants, building a strong case for prosecution.
“CCTV footage, witness testimony, and mobile data all played a role in securing this conviction.”
The five men will be sentenced on November 28 and 29, 2024.
Loading ...