Two Sydney men have been sentenced for robbing five men they arranged to meet through the dating app Grindr. The pair have been sentenced to more than six years in prison, having previously been convicted in 2023.
Andrew James Tanswell, 41, was sentenced to prison for six years and eight months, with a non-parole period of five years, while George Phoenix Leilua, 37, was sentenced to six years and two months with a non-parole period of four years.
As reported by The Guardian, NSW district court judge Andrew Colefax found the two men had set up accounts on Grindr and arranged to meet men under false pretences.
The incidents took place between May and June 2023, where the pair stole more than $22,000 from the five victims.
On May 29, 2023, Tanswell arranged to meet up with a 57-year-old victim at his home in Guilford. The court found that, after “trickery”, he distracted the victim while letting Leilua into the house. The pair stole the man’s wallet, mobile phone, and made him disclose his banking app password to withdraw $2,000.
In other incident, the pair targeted a 60-year-old man in Auburn and stole over $15,000 from his bank account, and similarly robbed a 66-year-old Granville man of his phone, identity documents, his Medicare card, and $160 in cash. The victim’s hands, arms and legs were injured during the attack, the publication reported.
In the fourth attack, taking place on 12 June 2023, Leilua threatened a 27-year-old with a knife, forcing him to hand over his phone, banking app passcodes, and $128 transferred out of his account.
A 45-year-old man from Liverpool also had $5,000 stolen by the pair.
Leilua was arrested on 15 June 2023, and Tanswell arrested one day later. Both men pleaded guilty.
Judge Colefax said each of the victims had suffered “significant psychological consequences” as a result of the attacks.
The convictions follow a number of arrests made over similar incidents, whereby victims are targeted via dating apps like Grindr. Earlier this month, Victoria Police made over 30 arrests of young males between 13 and 20 years old, who were using fake profiles on dating apps and social media to arrange meetings.
The victims were allegedly assaulted, robbed, threatened and harassed with homophobic comments. Some incidents involved victims being filmed, with the videos then posted on social media.
Last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported gangs of teens across Sydney were reportedly using dating apps to lure men into public spaces, attacking them and robbing them before forcing them to falsely admit to being “paedophiles” on social media.
NSW Police have been investigating the crimes since January 2024, per the publication.
A spokesperson for the company told The Guardian bad actors may attempt to misuse the services and put users at risk, similar to any service, but Grindr worked hard to ensure “a safe and authentic environment free of harmful and fake accounts”.
Grindr has shown in-app alerts warning users about attacks in the past few months, and the spokesperson added the app partners with government agencies, local law enforcement, and LGBTQ+ organisations to provide such alerts in periods of increased threats to users.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Grindr for comment.
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