Gangs of teenagers across Sydney have reportedly been 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.
According to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW police have been investigating the hate crimes since January following attacks which span from the Northern Beaches to western and south-western suburbs.
In the attacks, victims were coaxed to meet in public parks after connecting on a dating app. When they arrived, they were confronted by a group of teenagers who proceeded to assault and rob their victims, with some victims being forced to confess to being paedophiles on camera.
Police investigators soon discovered that these videos were being posted on Instagram under now-deleted accounts called pedohunting_syd.
Police launched two specialised strike forces to investigate the systematic attacks: Strike Force Section — which covered attacks in Auburn, Burwood, Campbelltown, Sydney CBD and surrounds — and Strike Force Dividing for attacks around the northern beaches.
The teenagers were arrested in April as part of a counter-terrorism raid that was launched after the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney’s west. During the investigation, authorities allegedly found evidence linking the same group of teens to gay hate crime attacks.
Authorities as well as LGBTQIA+ groups have been extremely concerned about the similarities between these attacks and for the hate crimes that occurred in Sydney between 1970 and the 2000s. Since then, the NSW government and Police have apologised for its failures to properly investigate, prosecute and protect vulnerable communities.
“These reports show that we must continue the important work of addressing hate and creating community safety for LGBTQ+ people,” a spokesman for LGBTQ+ health organisation ACON said.
“These are acts of hatred that stand at odds with the community-wide consensus that LGBTQ+ people are full members of our society and should be able to live in safety.”
Police are urging men to be safe whilst meeting up with people they’ve connected with on dating apps by verifying identities and sharing locations with friends or family.
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