A 19-year-old from Victoria has been sentenced after admitting to a series of violent attacks on men he’d met through Grindr, telling police he was motivated by vigilante-style videos he’d watched on TikTok and YouTube.
Christian Keryakus pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, common assault, and recklessly causing injury for two separate attacks in June last year. The Guardian reports that according to a county court judgment released this week, Keryakus said he got the idea from social media personalities who film themselves luring men on dating apps and then confronting or assaulting them, often under the guise of exposing “paedophiles”.
This case comes as Victoria Police have made more than 35 arrests in recent months linked to attacks on men lured through Grindr under false pretences.
What actually happened?
The court heard that Keryakus first chatted with one victim on Grindr, then moved the conversation to Snapchat to get the man’s location. The chat turned sexual, but instead of sending his own photo, Keryakus sent an image of a 15-year-old boy.
Even though the pair never arranged to meet, Keryakus turned up at the man’s house with three others. He accused the man of being a “paedo”, demanded $20,000, and one of his group punched the victim in the face. The group left with the victim’s Nintendo Switch and wallet.
Later that night, Keryakus arranged to meet a second man in a field in Craigieburn after chatting for half an hour on Grindr. When the man arrived, Keryakus again accused him of messaging an underage boy and demanded his phone. Five males surrounded the victim, attacking him with punches, kicks, and a cricket bat, while Keryakus filmed the assault.
Police tracked Keryakus down by linking the Snapchat account used in the attacks to his phone number and address. When they searched his phone, they found screenshots of other dating app chats and a video of the second attack.
After his arrest, Keryakus was put in a cell with a covert police operative. He reportedly told the operative he was “inspired by TikTok videos to create profiles on gay dating apps and pretend to be a 15-year-old boy in order to draw out paedophiles”, per The Guardian. In a later police interview, he said he’d gotten the idea from TikTok, adding, “they’re just paedophiles”.
How did TikTok inspire these Grindr attacks?
During sentencing, Judge Sarah Dawes noted that Keryakus had been influenced by online figures, specifically mentioning a TikTok and YouTube creator known as Vitaly, “who is known for streaming online pranks and vigilantism”.
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, the influencer named in court, has millions of followers across TikTok and YouTube. He was recently jailed in the Phillipines and faces up to 24 years in prison in the Philippines for five separate charges, per The Economic Times.
“It appears that you thought you were superior to the victims that you dealt with and that at the time of your misconduct you tried to take the law into your own hands to dispense justice in this inappropriate fashion,” Judge Dawes said, as quoted in the published judgment.
According to the New York Times, similar vigilante attacks have been on the rise overseas, with over 170 reported in the US since 2023.
What was the sentence?
Keryakus has since told the court he regrets his actions and now understands it’s not his “responsibility to arrest individuals or engage in vigilante justice”.
He was sentenced to a two-and-a-half-year community corrections order, which includes 250 hours of unpaid community work.
If you or someone you know has been affected by similar incidents, police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
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