Five men have been sentenced for using Grindr to lure and rob victims in Birmingham
Birmingham: A group of five guys just got locked up for using dating apps like Grindr to trick people. They’d lure victims to a spot, then attack and rob them. It’s pretty wild, right?
The crew, made up of Demalji Hadza, Abubaker Alezawy, Ali Hassan, Wasim Omar, and Mohammed Sharif, pretended to be normal folks looking to meet up. But once the victims showed up, they were in for a nasty surprise.
Over ten months, these guys pulled off a string of robberies around Birmingham, racking up over £100,000 in stolen goods. They hit places like Golden Hillock Park and Derby city center between 2023 and 2024.
When they faced the judge at Birmingham Crown Court, they got sentences ranging from 12 to 17 years. Hadza got 16 years and two months, while Alezawy got 16 years and five months. The others got similar sentences.
Hadza and Alezawy admitted their guilt early on, but the rest were found guilty after a lengthy trial. They really went all out, using Grindr to make victims think they were meeting someone safe.
Once they had their victims, they’d hold them for hours, stealing money from their bank accounts and taking their stuff like cars, wallets, and IDs. It was brutal, with some victims ending up in the hospital with serious injuries.
In one case, they even pretended to be hurt to get help from passersby, only to turn on them and rob them too. They were sneaky, often hiding their faces to avoid being recognized.
Detective Inspector Tom Lyons said this was a well-planned series of robberies, targeting people they thought were easy prey. He praised the victims for their bravery in coming forward, which helped build a strong case against the robbers.
After the sentencing, Detective Constable Sarah Byrne emphasized how important it was for victims to speak up. She hopes this case encourages others to report similar incidents, assuring them that police will handle it with care.
