He used drinks to drug his victims | Photo: Unsplash/Patrick Schöpflin
Sam Ashley received a 23-year prison sentence after using Grindr to drug and rape people, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The 30-year-old from Fareham, England would use the app and contact men before meeting them in Portsmouth. After meeting up with them, he used a variety of ways to drug his victims. Then, he attacked and raped them when they were in a ‘stupefied’ state.
In three instances, he Ashley spiked the drinks of the men he met via Grindr. Another thought Ashley was giving him painkillers for a headache.
Lindsay Pennell of the CPS said he used GHB, diazepam, zopiclone or a combination.
The Portsmouth Crown Court found Ashley guilty of four rapes, four charges of administering a substance with intent, and two counts of attempted rape.
‘A dangerous man’
‘Ashley is a dangerous and manipulative man who befriended and deceived his victims, which has understandably had a profound impact on the victims and their friends and families,’ said Det. Insp. James Stewart of Hampshire Constabulary.
‘I hope this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward.’
It’s also not the first time people have abused the app to commit crimes.
Earlier this year, a man was sentenced to life in prison for meeting men on Grindr and then ‘deliberately’ infecting them with HIV.
In Texas, a group of men used the app to rob and assault gay men.
H/t: BBC
