WA Police Issue Warning To “Vigilante” Groups After Grindr Attacks & Videos

Western Australia Police have reminded the public to avoid taking the law into their own hands after videos of “vigilante” Grindr attacks began circulating in Perth.

The social media videos allegedly show teenage boys accusing men they’ve lured into real-life meetups through Grindr of pedophilia, with WA Police releasing a statement denouncing the online trend.

“Police are specifically trained and equipped to respond to reports of all crime, and vigilante groups are putting themselves in harm’s way by attempting to take action against alleged offenders,” a spokesperson told Star Observer.

“Members of the public put themselves at risk if they are involved in vigilante behaviour.  This behaviour is not only dangerous, but it ignores the rules of evidence and may impact our ability to obtain a prosecution or conviction in the future.”

The WA Police, who are actively involved in seeking out online child predators, urged members of the public with evidence of crimes being committed to alert police.

“This vigilante behaviour may compromise police investigations or place those undertaking it in a position where they become the subject of an investigation. If criminality is detected, they may be charged.”

“Anyone with any information relating to someone being abused, particularly if they have user/profile names and details of the platforms being used, to contact police on 131 444, or report the information anonymously via the WA Police Safe2Say online reporting platform.”

Increased “vigilante” attacks across the country

The reminder comes after an recent increase in publicised “vigilante” incidents through Grindr, with other men having been targeted and attacked across Sydney, Canberra, Victoria, and Western Australia. In May, Victorian police said they had arrested 35 people, mostly teenage boys, for similar offences in an eight month period.

In July, 20-year-old Blake Dean Nightingall garnered public support after he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for bashing and robbing a man, after creating a fake Grindr profile using photos of himself as a 15-year-old.

He told arresting police that he had wanted to “teach the man a lesson” for messaging with what was, to the best of his knowledge, an underage person.

“It’s not like the other fella is fully innocent,” he said. “The messages and shit – that gay dating app Grindr, there’s fellas on there all keen to meet up with 14-year-old boys, it just happened, it was a silly idea.”

In response to a rise in these kinds of crimes, Switchboard Victoria last month launched the Rainbow Door helpline, providing victims with a confidential service and advice over the phone five days a week.

Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ Commissioner Joe Ball has labelled the attacks “deliberate, organised, and hateful.”

“To our communities: I see you, and I know how distressing this is. Many of us remember the days when violence against gay men was normalised, overlooked – even expected. We will not go back.”

Anyone in the community who has any information in relation to a crime or criminal activity, is urged to provide the information to police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at crimestoppers.com.au.