Over a span of ten months the five robbers lured men into meeting them before brutally attacking them and stealing their belongings and sometimes thousands of pounds
An armed mob who exploited the dating app Grindr to swindle men out of £100,000 have been sentenced to nearly 80 years behind bars. The quintet of robbers baited men into meeting them before launching savage attacks and pilfering their possessions.
Over a span of ten months, the gang focused on targeting victims in Birmingham and Derby. CCTV footage also captured some of the culprits pretending to have car trouble in Derby, only to assault the people who stepped in to assist. On Monday (January 13), Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22, were collectively sentenced to 78 years and ten months for their string of robberies.
Hadza and Alezawy entered guilty pleas, while Hassan, Omar and Sharif were found guilty following a six-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court last September. The court was told that the gang leveraged dating apps like Grindr to entice victims into meeting them, only to ambush them at the agreed spot.
While held captive for hours, fearing for their lives, their phones were manipulated to transfer hefty amounts from their bank accounts.
The gang staged their ambushes at Golden Hillock Park, in South Birmingham and in Derby city centre between 2023 and 2024. CCTV caught the gang making trips to ATMs and shops where they withdrew cash using their victims’ bank cards.
The gang’s loot also included vehicles, house keys, and they didn’t hesitate to threaten to stab the victims unless they bowed to their demands. Victims were subjected to brutal beatings, with the onslaught leaving them with severe injuries such as shattered eye sockets, a dislocated shoulder, and fractured noses.
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In the bid to protect their identities during these heinous crimes, the court was informed that the culprits resorted to wearing disguises and shoving their victims’ heads into the ground, ensuring they couldn’t catch a glimpse of their attackers.
West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Tom Lyons said: “This was a calculated series of robberies with Hadza, Alezawy, Hasan, Omar and Sharif, deliberately targeting victims because they believed they were vulnerable, easy targets. My team conducted a lengthy investigation which required piecing together many strands of evidence.”
He added: “I know that it took the victims in this case a huge amount of bravery and courage to come forward and support the criminal justice process through to trial and I commend them for doing so.