Convicted: Birmingham gang who lured in men using dating apps and robbed them of thousands at knifepoint

Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasiim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22, were convicted on Tuesday at Birmingham Crown Court of conspiracy to commit robbery.

The court heard that the defendants used fake profiles on Grindr – a dating app for gay, bisexual, transexual, and queer people – to lure four victims to parks in Birmingham where they were attacked, held captive, and robbed.

They also faked injuries to target three further victims in quiet spots in Derby and Birmingham, robbing and attacking them when they stopped to help.

They tricked a fourth victim into getting into a van by promising him a lift home.

Between April 25 and July 15 last year, the defendants stole £73,406.10 from eight victims.

One of the victims thought he was meeting a Grindr date called ‘Noah’ at the Golden Hillock sports ground car park in Birmingham but was instead assaulted by three of the defendants who threatened to stab him.

They demanded his phone and pin codes which they used to steal £8,730 from his bank account and credit card.

As the robbers left, they told the victim to stay where he was for an hour and that he would be stabbed if he moved before then. They then left taking his phone and his car with them.

In the same place on May 11 last year, a cyclist was attacked at knifepoint as he tried to help a man claiming his mother had been stabbed.

When the victim tried to help, three of the defendants attacked him at knifepoint, threatening to stab him if he did not do as he was told. They stole his phone, wallet and jewellery.

The defendants also stole £25,000 from another victim who thought he was meeting a Grindr date. They assaulted him and pinned him to the ground, dislocating his shoulder. They demanded his phone and wallet, again threatening to stab him if he did not hand them over.

The men held the phone to his face to use facial recognition to access his banking apps and stole over £25,000 from his bank account – they also made him call the bank to say the transfer was legitimate.

Hadza of Erskine Street, Birmingham, and Alezawy of Baverstock Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty on day two of the trial.

Hassan of Albert Road, Birmingham, Omar of Wardlow Road, Birmingham, and Sharif of Keer court, Birmingham, were found guilty on Tuesday following a five-week trial.

They will be sentenced on November 28 and 29 at Birmingham Crown Court.

Georgina Davies, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These defendants specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community to rob them of their money and belongings.

“They may have thought that the victims would not report the offences, but we were able to hold all five defendants accountable for their actions.

“We worked very closely with the police to gather all the evidence against the defendants, building a strong case for prosecution. CCTV footage, witness testimony, and mobile data all played a role in securing this conviction.”

Detective Inspector Tom Lyons, from West Midlands Police Major Crime Unit, said: “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. My team conducted a lengthy investigation which required piecing together many strands of evidence.

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

“I hope today’s outcome provides reassurance that we take these types of offences extremely seriously, and always do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice. Those found committing offences like this can expect to face a considerable length of time in prison.”