A Perth court has heard that a 16-year-old boy, who is part of a gang of five teenagers who are accused of assaulting and robbing two men they lured used the Grindr dating app, sent a message to his friends inviting them to join him in the attacks.
The teenager, who has been remanded in custody, appeared in Perth Children’s Court for a bail hearing on Tuesday. The West Australian covered the proceedings.
The court heard that the teenager had allegedly used his own photograph to create a profile on the app and had then organised through messages two separate meetings, both with a man in their thirties.
When the first man arrived at a location in Stillwater Gardens in Perth’s south, it is alleged that the group continued to message him until he got out of his car. The group them approached him, when they shouted at him, he retreated to his vehicle.
The group then continued to verbally abuse the man, and they allegedly damaged his car, including throwing a rock that became lodged in the windscreen.
A short time later the group allegedly attacked a second man that they lured to the location via the same methodology. Once he arrived, one of the members of the group is said to have called out for him, causing him to walk into a nearby park.
He was then attacked by the teens who were armed with a crowbar, machete, pepper spray and a knife. The prosecutor said the man’s jacket, car keys and vehicle were then stolen. The incident was also filmed by the 16-year-old on his phone.
It is alleged that when police tracked down the teenager, they found a message on his phone sent to his co-accused which read “Come catch pedos”. They also found the footage of the alleged assault.
The young man was on bail for another offence, which he had pleaded guilty to, and is due to be sentenced in November. He was denied bail on the new charges with the magistrate saying if he was found guilty a period in detention would be likely.
The attacks in Perth follow similar incidents in Canverra, Melbourne and Brisbane.
