Police ordered to reopen probe into dying of homosexual man ‘blackmailed’ by Grindr gang who demanded his automotive

Police have been ordered to re-open their investigation into the death of a man who allegedly took his own life after being targeted by a Grindr blackmail gang.

Scott Gough, 56, died the day after a gang of six men described as ‘white and in their mid 20s’ aggressively knocked at his door in Chandlers Cross, Hertfordshire on March 28 2024.

The group demanded the keys to his brand new Range Rover. Mr Gough was not at home at the time – but his partner, Cameron Tewson, was, and called the police.

As they fled, they left a note that read: ‘To the owner of the white Range Rover… I think it’s in your best interest to give me a call.’

The next day, Mr Tewson found Mr Gough dead at home along with a note bearing his last will and testament. A coroner recorded asphyxiation as the cause of death. An inquest remains open.

Mr Tewson believes his partner – who worked for a Jaguar Land Rover dealership – had been trying to hide the fact he had been using the gay dating app Grindr, and was being threatened with blackmail.

Hertfordshire Police launched an investigation but later closed the case, despite identifying suspects and linking the phone number to other cases of alleged Grindr blackmail. No-one was ever arrested.

A report found that initial probe lacking: a car used by the suspects was traced and the men identified were spoken to after being linked to a further case of extortion – not as potential blackmailers, but as ‘individuals requiring safeguarding’. 

Instead of being brought in for interview over their potential role in a criminal act, a police visit was treated as an ‘informal intervention to stop the group from targeting anyone else’ and to ‘provide stern words of advice’.

Hertfordshire Police says this ‘appears to predate any link between the males who had attended the home of [Mr Gough]’ – but admits that it ‘may have led to a potential loss of evidential material’. It was unable to download Mr Gough’s phone. 

However, there were other potential mis-steps: no DNA evidence or fingerprints were taken from the ransom note, and rubbish left at the scene by the gang was not taken away for testing.

And within 10 days of Mr Gough’s death, police received two more reports of blackmail involving the same phone number; the group later identified themselves as so-called ‘paedophile-hunters’ but gave police no evidence to back this up.

In all, the gang has allegedly been linked to at least four cases of Grindr-related blackmail in the area, reported BBC News. 

Mr Tewson has alleged that the police’s dismal investigation was driven by homophobia, telling the broadcaster that officers’ attitudes towards him and his partner changed when he mentioned the use of Grindr.

He complained to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and to Hertfordshire Police’s professional standards department.

The IOPC later upheld a complaint that the police made ‘several errors’ following Mr Gough’s death and ‘did not investigate (Mr Gough’s) sudden death fully as a result’. 

However, it has dismissed any suggestions that the lacklustre investigation was motivated by homophobia, unconscious or otherwise – though Mr Tewson has decried the probe as ‘fundamentally flawed’ in this respect.

He told the Daily Mail today: ‘The decision to reinvestigate Scott’s death confirms that the original investigation failed to properly examine available evidence, linked intelligence, digital material, and potential blackmail or third-party involvement. 

‘While acknowledgement of these failures is welcome, it is deeply troubling that it has taken nearly two years and external pressure for issues evident from the outset to be recognised. 

‘The delays have already caused irreversible damage through lost opportunities, degraded evidence, and faded recollections, undermining both accountability and safeguarding.

‘Process changes alone do not address the deeper cultural and supervisory failures at play, and the fact the reinvestigation remains within the same force inevitably raises serious questions about its independence.’

A subsequent professional standards report, compiled by the force at the IOPC’s behest, has found that there was ‘sufficient suspicion’ to record a crime of blackmail. 

It has recommended appointing an independent officer to reinvestigate, but Mr Tewson has accused the force of ‘marking their own homework’; it later emerged one investigating officer accused him of harbouring a ‘personal vendetta’.

Mr Tewson says he will keep fighting for justice for his partner despite feeling that he was ‘reliving his death every single day’ in doing so.

He told the BBC: ‘I don’t think I’ve been able to grieve properly yet, but I knew that I was onto something from the beginning.’

Hertfordshire Police confirmed to the Mail today it had been told that a blackmail investigation ‘should have been considered’. It says it is now considering whether to appoint a neighbouring force to review and re-investigate the case. 

A spokesperson said:  ‘The length of time taken to deal with the complaint has been deemed as unacceptable as per the report and individual learning has been identified. 

‘Since this time, PSD [the professional standards department] have changed the structure of the team who manage complaints, ensuring these delays are now avoided and learning is already in place.

‘Hertfordshire Constabulary remain committed to ensuring that members of the LGBTQ+ community feel supported when approaching the force.

We would like to reiterate our sincere condolences and sympathy to Mr Tewson at the loss of his partner, Mr Gough.’ 

An IOPC spokesperson told the Mail: ‘Our thoughts remain with Mr Gough’s family, loved ones and all those affected by his tragic death. 

‘We are deeply sympathetic of their need to obtain answers to questions about the police investigation at the time of Mr Gough’s passing, and their wish to be listened to and heard.

‘While the IOPC investigates the most serious matters, the vast majority of complaints are handled directly by the police force concerned. 

‘For these complaints, a member of the public has a right of review, with that review completed by the IOPC casework team for the most serious matters, providing independent oversight.’

Grindr previously said that it ‘works diligently to provide a safe environment’ for users but defended its decision not to mandate profile verification.

It said last year: ‘Identity verification can be a safety risk for people who are not out at work, live with unsupportive families, or face discrimination.

‘We build our systems intentionally to minimise data collection while still supporting law enforcement investigations.’

Grindr has been criticised for its refusal to require users to be verified. Last summer it launched age checks in the UK to comply with the Online Safety Act, but does not require profile images to be verified against a user’s identity.

A spokesperson said: ‘At Grindr, we take our role as a connector for the queer community seriously and work diligently to provide a safe environment.

‘When harmful or illegal behaviour is reported to us, we act on it. We remove bad actors, strengthen moderation safety signals inside the product, and regularly cooperate with UK law enforcement, including through Kodex, which we adopted to streamline and accelerate lawful information sharing.

‘For gay people, many of whom rely on discretion for their safety, privacy is not optional. Identity verification can be a safety risk for people who are not out at work, live with unsupportive families, or face discrimination. 

‘We build our systems intentionally to minimise data collection while still supporting law enforcement investigations.

‘We’ll continue investing in safety features and our work with UK authorities to protect people who use our app.’

Other gangs have previously been convicted after using the app to commit crime, setting up fake profiles to entrap their victims. 

Last year, in an unrelated case, two Afghan men were jailed after using Grindr to arrange to meet up with victims across London who they then robbed of high-value items.

Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 22, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 22, posed as a ‘white guy’ on the gay dating app, according to one victim – before using distraction tactics to obtain phone passwords.

They would then steal the phones and use them to try to make large card payments, and also stole passports, wallets and watches.  The pair also sought to take out bank overdrafts in their victims’ names.

Mohammadi, of Weald Lane, Harrow, denied but was convicted of 17 counts of burglary, 12 of fraud and one of theft and was jailed for five years.

Hotak, of Richmond Road, Hackney, denied but was convicted of 14 counts of burglary, nine of fraud and one of theft and was jailed for three and a half years.

One of their victims later told the Mail: ‘It didn’t strike me that they might be criminals. I’m not on Grindr that much anyway really so I thought maybe it was inexperience on my part.’

Another gang in Birmingham that also used Grindr to find targets was jailed for a total of almost 80 years at the start of 2025.