Australian Teens Accused Of Beating Gay Men With Crowbars And Machetes After Luring Them Via Grindr

Australia’s ABC outlet reports:

Two teenage boys have been accused of hate crimes as part of an alleged catfishing scheme using a dating app to lure gay men to meet face-to-face before attacking them. The two boys, aged 15 and 16, appeared in a Perth court on Thursday charged over the alleged assault of two men in their 30s yesterday morning. Late on Thursday afternoon, police revealed they had charged a further two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, in relation to the incidents.

The prosecutor told the Perth Children’s Court a group of boys used the gay dating app Grindr to “lure” victims to a location by posing as a man interested in having a sexual encounter. She told the court when the alleged victims arrived, they were confronted by a group of males armed with crowbars, machetes, pepper spray and other weapons and the alleged assault was filmed on a mobile phone.

Read the full article. One of the men was seriously injured and had his car stolen. Bail has been denied. Watch the clip.

Four Perth teenagers have been charged over what prosecutors are today calling homophobic hate crimes.

The group accused of luring men via a dating app to a southern suburbs street, where they attacked with crow bars and machetes. @ezrdh #9News pic.twitter.com/FftCrtw58W

— 9News Perth (@9NewsPerth) September 19, 2024