A British man has been sentenced to five years in prison for robbing and blackmailing nine men he met on the gay dating app Grindr.
London's Metropolitan Police said that Anouar Sabbar, from south London, England, tricked his victims by pretending to be an escort after having sex with them.
Police said that after the hook-up, Sabbar would change his profile on Grindr to include a reference to a fee for escort services.
According to police, he demanded the money and threatened one of the victims with violence if he didn't pay. The man was told by Sabbar that they were coming. It looks like we will have to break your face, but I didn't want to do this to you.
Police said that the 28-year-old threatened to expose another victim to his girlfriend if he didn't pay.
The victim's profiles were blocked on the app to make it harder to trace him. Police said that he changed his phone numbers and hair to make it harder to identify him.
A mug shot of Anouar Sabbar.
London Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police said that Sabbar stole from nine men over the course of a year. His victims ranged in age from 25 to 57 years old.
The couple were arrested in a hotel in July of 2021. He pleaded guilty to robbery, theft, five counts of blackmail, and five counts of fraud.
He was sentenced to five years in jail.
The victims in this case have been incredibly brave in coming forward and reporting the offenses they were victims of.
"Sabbar is a nasty and spineless individual who used Grindr to target victims and used their vulnerabilities against them."
People who may have been exploited by him are being asked to come forward.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
