Dating app ambush attacks could be tip of the iceberg
Allanah Sciberras |
A spate of violent attacks on men allegedly lured to meetings through social media and dating apps could be the tip of the iceberg.
More than 30 arrests have made been in Victoria since October as part of an investigation into the bashings, which follow similar incidents elsewhere in Australia.
Police allege several groups of offenders, mostly young males aged between 13 and 20, posed as legitimate users on platforms such as Grindr, one of the world’s largest social networking apps for the LGBTQI community.
The victims were allegedly lured to a location before being assaulted, robbed, threatened and harassed with homophobic comments.
Some incidents were filmed and posted on social media, police say.
Victoria Police LGBTQI portfolio manager Jeremy Oliver said the incidents were being taken seriously.
“We want to be able to support the victims and hold people to account,” he told AAP.
Authorities work with platforms such as Grindr to provide safety warnings, Mr Oliver said.
AAP has been told Grindr has co-operated with authorities and is displaying an in-app safety message to users.
Mr Oliver believes it likely others have been affected but haven’t come forward.
“We really want to reach these victims that for a number of reasons (are not) reporting this,” he said.
“Although we’ve made 30-plus arrests, we know there’ll be a large number of people that don’t feel they (can come forward).”
Among those arrested are three boys aged 13, 14 and 15 for alleged kidnapping and armed robbery.
Two of them were charged and bailed to face court, while the 13-year-old was released pending further inquiries.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury and possessing a prohibited weapon without lawful excuse.
LGBTQI organisation Thorne Harbour Health warns dating app users to exercise caution before meeting with others following an incident in the city’s north.
“Online platforms have always come with a level of risk, but there are steps you can take to limit that risk and ensure that if something does happen, you can report it,” chief executive Simon Ruth said.
Reporting incidents to a dating app does not automatically result in a report being made to authorities, Victoria Police said.
Queerspace program manager George Ioannides said the incidents had created a growing sense of fear for dating app users.
“These attacks are particularly distressing as they purposefully exploit the trust given to digital platforms that are often the only means for some folks to safely connect with each other for dating, sex and friendship,” he told AAP.
The incidents come after a series of homophobic assaults in Canberra in 2024 that involved men being lured to vacant lots and set upon by a group.
Police say the men were coaxed to the empty properties around the nation’s capital after using dating apps under similar circumstances.
A month later, Queensland Police charged a teenager in relation to a series of robberies and attempted robberies in Brisbane’s south.
It was alleged a 14-year-old created a fake dating profile on a dating app and arranged to meet victims in Brisbane on six different occasions, where he would demand transfer of money.
Canberra man Peter Keeley, 56, was found dead in bushland after he was brutally assaulted by two teenagers he connected with on Grindr in 2020.
The teens were each charged with murder but acquitted after a judge-alone trial in June 2022.
They were jailed after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of detaining Mr Keeley with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.
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