Two Brabant men aged 19 and 20 have been sentenced to three and five years in prison respectively for a series of violent robberies. Sem R. and Raymond D. met men via dating app Grindr, who were then brutally robbed.
The victims thought they were on a date, but were set up. At the meeting, the men were pressured to hand over large sums of money.
R. and D. became increasingly violent, according to the police investigation. Initially they threatened to injure their victim or they were ‘only’ beaten or pushed, later the victims were tied up and brutally beaten. Two men were wrapped in tape and kidnapped in the trunk of their own car.
‘Disposition no role’
The two men were arrested last year after an eavesdropping operation by the police. R. and D. were stopped while on their way to a new victim. Knives, brass knuckles and duct tape were found in their car.
The then 18-year-old Raymond D. confessed last year that he assaulted and robbed four men. He has been acquitted of the other four cases and therefore receives a lower prison sentence with three years than Sem R., who has denied everything. His attorney has appealed.
According to D. the sexuality of the victims played no role, but the two were mainly looking for money. But they did call them “dirty gay” in the robberies.
Still fear
Four victims of the Grindr robberies recently submitted their stories anonymously Broadcasting Brabant. For example, a man told how he was forced to increase the limit of his bank cards via his bank app, after which more than 5000 euros was taken from his account. He was left behind in the outskirts of Tilburg with duct tape around his arms and legs.
Another victim said he became suspicious when he was on his way to his date by bicycle. When he turned around, he was chased and kicked off his bike. He gave up his cards and phone under threat of a knife.
The victims are still troubled by their fearful experiences. One of the kidnapped men has daily flashbacks and nightmares, he told Omroep Brabant last month. “I only now slowly dare to go outside, but not alone.”
Police and justice take into account that more men have become victims of the two Brabanters.
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