Men convicted of dating app robbery

Five men have been convicted for their part in an organised series of robberies targeting men they met through dating apps and stealing thousands of pounds.

Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasiim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22, were convicted yesterday (17 September 2024) at Birmingham Crown Court of conspiracy to commit robbery.

The court heard that the defendants used fake profiles on Grindr to lure four victims to parks in Birmingham where they were attacked, held captive, and robbed.

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 tricked a fourth victim into getting into a van by promising him a lift home.

Between 25 April 2023 and 15 July 2023, the defendants stole £73,406.10 from eight victims.

Their victims included two men who were targeted by the defendants who pretended to be injured on Markeaton Street, Derby as they walked home from a nightclub in the early hours of 25 April 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 approximately £200 in cash.

Other victims include a man who thought he was meeting a Grindr date called ‘Noah’ at the Golden Hillock sports ground car park in Birmingham but was instead assaulted by three of the defendants who threatened to stab him and 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 that he would be stabbed if he moved before then. They then left taking his phone and his car with them.

Another victim agreed to meet a Grindr date 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 over £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.

On 11 May 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.

On 28 May 2023, the defendants stole over £5,000 from the bank account of a man who had been lured to Golden Hillock Sports Ground car park to meet a Grindr date. They also stole his van. And on 11 July 2023,  another victim suffered the same fate when they lured him to the same car park and stole over £20,000 from his bank accounts at knifepoint.

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.”

All five men will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 28 and 29 November 2024.