An openly gay councilor in Texas, US, had his Grindr account hacked by ‘political enemies’ who wished to discredit him.
Cross Coburn, of Groves, had photos stolen from his Grindr account anonymously sent to City Hall and local media.
According to reports the images included him shirtless, as well as a photo of his penis and chat correspondence.
The stolen photos came with a note which read: ‘Is this in any way proper behaviour of a councilman to represent himself online or a ‘dating’ app?’
Councilor ‘did not commit any crime’
Republican Mayor of Groves, Brad Bailey, met with the young politician with local police, and branded the photos an ‘issue’.
‘Personally, I think it’s unbecoming of a public official, regardless of age.
Speaking to KDFM, Coburn said: ‘I felt like I was being harassed, being discriminated against because I’m a young gay man on City Council.
‘That is my personal life and no one should know about it.
‘I’m sorry if anyone took it the wrong way but it’s really nothing more complex than this is my personal life.’