Birmingham teens jailed over Grindr robberies

Three teenagers from Birmingham were on Wednesday (11) sentenced to a total of more than 37 years in prison for robbing men they had met on Grindr, a dating app for gay people.

Mohammed Sohail Khan, Qaasim Ahmad and Muhammad Umar, all aged 18, set up fake profiles on Grindr and convinced men to meet up.

The dates were in Bordesley Green and the men were then forced them onto wasteland before being assaulted and robbed. The teens also humiliated the men by shouting anti-gay slurs.

The first attack happened on January 5 2019 and further reports were filed to West Midlands Police on March 18, 24 and 29.

Detective chief inspector Ian Ingram said: “This was a calculated series of robberies with Khan, Ahmad and Umar deliberately targeting gay men via the dating app Grindr, because they believed they were vulnerable, easy targets.

“My team gathered compelling evidence against the trio - who in police interview showed no remorse for what they had done, and seemingly had no grasp of the trauma they had subjected their victim to.

“I know it took the four 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 a build a strong case, which ultimately brought the offenders to justice, and has undoubtedly prevented many other people from becoming a victim.

“Unfortunately we suspect the defendants may have committed other offences before they were arrested, and many victims may not have reported what happened to them to police."

On December 11, the trio were sentenced to a total of more than 37 years in prison:

· Qaasim Ahmad from Heather Road, Small Heath was sentenced to 13 years, four months

· Mohammed Sohail Khan of George Road, Hay Mills to 13 years, four months

· Muhammad Umar from Denville Crescent, Bordesley Green to 11 years, three months

The youngsters will be subject to an extended licence period due to the severity of their crimes.