Police investigating a series of alleged homophobic assaults have accused four Western Australian teenagers of assaulting two men they separately arranged to meet via an online dating app.
The arrests came after police said they were investigating incidents in which men had agreed to meet someone they connected with on a dating app, and had then allegedly been assaulted by several males while being subjected to homophobic slurs.
The state’s premier, Roger Cook, said the alleged incidents were “insidious”.
“We want Western Australia to be a peaceful, inclusive and safe place for everyone to live,” he said.
Fremantle detectives alleged that one man in his 30s had arranged a meeting after a conversation on the online dating app on Wednesday.
Police said it will be alleged that, at about 1am, he arrived at Stillwater Gardens in South Lake where he was approached by a group of males who verbally abused him.
He then retreated to his car and locked the doors, but the group allegedly surrounded the vehicle and damaged the rear boot and side panel in an attempt to steal the car, police said.
It was alleged rocks were thrown at the car as the man drove away, causing damage to the windscreen.
After the first alleged victim left, police said a second man in his 30s arrived at the same location after also allegedly arranging a meeting via a dating app.
Police alleged that the second man was surrounded by a group of males who physically and verbally assaulting him, stealing his jacket and car keys. The group allegedly fled in his car.
The second alleged victim sustained a large laceration to his elbow, and bruising to his back and ribs.
A 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old male were arrested in South Lake at 4.40pm on Wednesday after police executed a search warrant.
They were charged with aggravated armed robbery, attempted aggravated robbery, criminal damage or destruction of property and stealing a motor vehicle. The teenagers were due to appear in Perth children’s court on Thursday.
Late on Thursday, WA police said an additional two teenage males – a 16 year-old and a 17 year-old both from Hamilton Hill – were arrested in relation to the same incidents, and charged with aggravated armed robbery, attempted aggravated armed robbery, criminal damage or destruction of property, and with stealing a motor vehicle.
Police have urged people to report any information on the incidents or those of a similar nature to Crime Stoppers.
Det Insp Matt Froude said it had been a “distressing situation” for the alleged victims of such assaults.
“This is why we’re working tirelessly to track down these offenders and hold them to account,” he said.
“We take this behaviour extremely seriously and there is no place for this kind of targeted violence in our community [and] anyone who has been engaging in this kind of behaviour should be expecting WA police officers to come through their door.
“While incidents of this nature are rare, we treat them with the utmost seriousness and we encourage victims to come forward so we can investigate.”
- with AAP
