£100k Grindr gang who trapped victims facing jail over criminal reign of terror
A gang of thugs are facing jail for terrorising victims lured to rendezvous on apps including Grindr and rinsing their bank accounts. The five men used the dating app to arrange meet-ups before robbing victims who turned up and draining their accounts.
Over ten months, the men - all from Birmingham - planned and committed robberies across Birmingham, taking a total of more than £100,000. They committed the offences at Golden Hillock Sports Ground in Sparkbrook and Derby city centre and also preyed upon the good nature of helpful members of the public by pretending to be injured in order to trick victims into helping them.
Injuries suffered by the victims included broken eye sockets, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken nose. Many needed hospital treatment.
READ MORE: Tragedy as man dies at city builder's yard after incident with forklift truck
Demalji Hadza, 21, of Erskine Street, Nechells, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, of Baverstock Road, Druids Heath, Ali Hassan, 20, of Albert Road, Lozells, Wasim Omar, 24, of Wardlow Road, Nechells and Mohammed Sharif, 22, of Keer Court, Bordlesley Green, were all convicted of the series of robberies. Hadza and Alezawy pleaded guilty on the second day of their trial, while Hassan, Omar and Sharif were found guilty yesterday, Tuesday, September 17, following a five-week trial.
They used fake Grindr profiles to lure four victims to parks in Birmingham where they were attacked, held captive, and robbed. While being held for hours and in fear of their lives, their phones were used to transfer large sums of money out of their bank accounts.
They also faked injuries to target three more victims in quiet spots in Derby and Birmingham, robbing and attacking them when they stopped to help. And they tricked a fourth victim into getting into a van by promising him a lift home.
Their victims included two men who were targeted as the defendants pretended to be injured on Markeaton Street, Derby, 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 assaulted and robbed at knifepoint.
The defendants demanded their phones and the pin codes for both their phones and banking apps and stole around £200 in cash. Other victims included a man who thought he was meeting a Grindr date called ‘Noah’ at the Golden Hillock car park but was instead assaulted by three of the defendants who threatened to stab him.
They demanded his phone and 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 he would be stabbed if he moved before then. They left, taking his phone and his car with them.
Another Grindr victim agreed to a meet-up but was instead assaulted by the group who punched and pinned him to the ground, dislocating his shoulder in the process. 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. They stole more than £25,000 from his bank account – and made him 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.
Three more attacks took place at the Golden Hillock car park. On May 11, 2023, a cyclist was attacked at knifepoint, after seeing a man who asked for help, claiming 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.
And on May 28 2023, the defendants stole more than £5,000 from the bank account of a man who had been lured to Golden Hillock car park to meet on a Grindr date. They also stole his van. And on July 11 2023, another victim suffered the same fate when they lured him to the same car park and stole more than £20,000 from his bank accounts at knifepoint.
As well as cash, the gang-of-five stole vehicles, house keys, and would terrify their victims with the threat of being stabbed, using large weapons to substantiate the threats before leaving them stranded by taking their car keys, wallets and identification documents.
West Midlands Police said in most of the attacks the suspects hid their identity with masks or face coverings or held their victims down with their faces in the mud to prevent them from being able to identify them.
A spokesperson said: “The tenacity and teamwork of officers who watched dozens of hours of CCTV, tracked vehicles, traced financial chains and worked with forensic phone specialists, which enabled us to identify and build a case of evidence against these dangerous individuals and bring their campaign of hate crimes, motivated by the victim’s sexuality, to an end. The five men were remanded and will be sentenced in November.”
Det Insp Tom Lyons, from the force's Major Crime Unit, 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.
“I know 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. Their evidence enabled us to launch a full-scale investigation and build a strong case, which ultimately brought the offenders to justice, and has undoubtedly prevented many other people from becoming a victim.
“I hope the outcome provides reassurance that we take these types of offences extremely seriously, and always do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice. Those found committing offences like this can expect to face a considerable length of time in prison.”
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.”
Det Con Sarah Byrne, said: “Convicting these individuals would have never been possible without the victims' bravery in sharing their accounts with the police and court. We hope that seeing these individuals being held to account for their actions will bring closure for the victims.
“I would encourage anyone who has been subject to a similar ordeal to come forward and report it to police. All reports will be dealt with sensitively and victims will be supported by specially trained officers."
Get the latest BirminghamLive news direct to your inbox
The West Midlands Police spokesperson added: “We encourage any victims who have experienced similar [dating and romance] crimes and are yet to report them to the police to get in touch with us. To report a crime you can do so online following this link, (report a crime), call 101 or visit a police station.
“Dating and romance scammers lower their target’s defences by building an online relationship, then asking for larger and larger sums of money. Well-meaning men and women have both fallen victim to this.”
All five men are due to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on November 28 and 29.