In a chilling display of criminal exploitation, a ruthless gang of five men has been jailed for using the Grindr dating app to lure unsuspecting victims into violent ambushes and robberies. The gang’s reign of terror, which spanned 10 months across Birmingham and Derby, left a trail of battered and traumatized victims in its wake.
Calculated Attacks on Vulnerable App Users
Masquerading as legitimate Grindr users, the gang members – Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22 – arranged meetups with their targets under false pretenses. But what awaited the victims was a nightmare of violence and violation.
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.
DI Tom Lyons, Birmingham Police
Brutal Assaults and Grand Theft
The victims, believing they were connecting with potential partners, instead found themselves trapped and savagely beaten. Held captive for hours, they endured vicious assaults that left many requiring hospital treatment for injuries like broken eye sockets, dislocated shoulders, and shattered noses.
But the gang’s cruelty didn’t stop at physical brutality. Using the victims’ own phones, the attackers siphoned large sums of money from their bank accounts. Wallets, identification, vehicles, and house keys were also stolen, leaving the battered victims stranded and bereft.
Ruthless Tactics and Elaborate Ruses
The gang’s methods were as devious as they were cruel. Concealing their identities with masks, they would hold victims’ faces in the mud to prevent later identification. They even staged elaborate ruses, like pretending to be injured and in need of help, to ensnare good samaritans into their web of violence.
Surveillance footage captured the gang members boldly withdrawing stolen cash and using pilfered credit cards to make purchases, callously celebrating their ill-gotten gains outside shops. Such brazenness only underscores the depths of their moral bankruptcy.
Justice Prevails: Hefty Sentences Handed Down
Fortunately, the gang’s reign of terror has been brought to an end by the diligent efforts of West Midlands Police. After a complex investigation piecing together multiple strands of evidence, the five men faced justice at Birmingham Crown Court.
- Demalji Hadza: 16 years, 2 months
- Abubaker Alezawy: 16 years, 5 months
- Ali Hassan: 16 years, 9 months
- Wasim Omar: 17 years, 3 months
- Mohammed Sharif: 12 years, 3 months
I hope today’s sentencing provides reassurance that we take these types of offences extremely seriously, and always do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.
DI Tom Lyons, Birmingham Police
A Warning and a Path Forward
This disturbing case serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking behind the anonymity of dating apps and online encounters. It underscores the critical importance of exercising caution and vigilance in such interactions.
For the victims, the road to recovery may be long and arduous. But there is hope. Detective Constable Sarah Byrne offered words of encouragement, praising their bravery in coming forward and promising that all future reports will be handled with sensitivity and care.
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.
Detective Constable Sarah Byrne, West Midlands Police
As society grapples with the implications of an increasingly digital world, this case is a sobering reminder that evil can lurk in even the most unexpected places. But it is also a testament to the power of justice, the resilience of survivors, and the tireless dedication of those who work to keep our communities safe.
