A Borough man has been sent to prison for five years after blackmailing and threatening people he met on the gay dating app Grindr.
Anouar Sabbar, of Cole Street just south of Borough Tube station, sought out men on the app and after consensual sex, said he was an escort and demanded money from the victims.
Sabbar also threatened violence or blackmail to intimidate his victims, who were between 25 and 57 years old, the police said.
He stole £2,360 between April 2019 and June 2021. The court heard that once he got the money, he would block the victim on the app, which automatically removed the online conversation, making it difficult for him to be traced.
He would also swap his SIM cards and mobile phone number regularly and often changed his hairstyle so he wasn’t recognised.
After one victim refused to pay Sabbar, he told him someone would come round to beat him up.
Another time, police said that Sabbar threatened to tell the victim’s girlfriend that they had sex.
An officer investigating a robbery of one the victim’s in Tower Hamlets identified Sabbar as the suspect. She then compared similar offences and identified Sabbar from various phone numbers, addresses, aliases and usernames used. Once it was determined Sabbar was the suspect for the offences, a manhunt to arrest him began.
He pleaded guilty robbery, theft, five counts of blackmail and five counts of fraud at Snaresbrook Crown Court on November 8, 2021 and was sentenced on Thursday (January 20).
Detective Inspector Arif Sharif said: “The victims in this case have been incredibly brave in coming forward and reporting the offences Sabbar committed against them.
“Sabbar is a nasty and spineless individual who used Grindr to target victims and used their vulnerabilities against them.
“It is with thanks to the officer who diligently carried out the investigation that this dangerous offender has been taken off the streets.
“There may be others who were exploited by Sabbar who until now have felt unable to tell anyone. Please get in touch with us – we are here to listen to you and will take what you say incredibly seriously. You will be treated with sensitivity and in confidence.
“In situations such as this, the Met is focused on the motive and behaviour of the offender, rather than the behaviour of the victim. I would therefore urge anyone who has been a victim of crime following a meet on Grindr or similar platforms to speak to us directly quoting Op Fardella. Alternatively contact us through a third party support group such as Galop or reach out 100% anonymously using the independent charity Crimestoppers.”