The ringleader of a gang who targeted users of the LGBT dating app Grindr has been sentenced to more than four years in a young offender institution.
The group, led by 20-year-old Villian Kesel, from Bradford, arranged meetings with five men using the app in 2024 and stole items from their homes or demanded money.
In the most serious incident, one victim was forced into a car and detained in the vehicle by four men for about an hour, Bradford Crown Court heard.
During the robbery, the man was forced to transfer more than £600 into a bank account linked to Kesel while he was being verbally abused.
Prosecutor Temitayo Dasaolu said the criminals threatened to leave him “stranded and naked” in a forest if he did not pay another £500 within 24 hours.
Another complainant was struck with a wheel wrench by another member of the gang, causing damage to his teeth.
One victim said he suffered from panic attacks and night terrors as a result of the gang’s actions.
Kesel, of Buxton Street, admitted four offences of burglary and one offence of robbery.
Another gang member, Aribri Sinaj, 22, of Brougham Street, Burnley, was found guilty of his involvement in one of the burglary incidents and jailed for two years.
Barrister James Holding, representing Sinaj, said his client had “come along for the ride” rather than being the instigator.
