- The Prosecutor’s Office requests 19 years and eleven months in prison for Y.D., 21 years old, arrested in El Ejido (Almería) for assaulting several men he contacted through the gay dating app Grindr.
- The accused allegedly created at least three fake profiles on the app as a “lure,” and would meet his victims at night in an open area in Las Norias de Daza along with other unidentified individuals.
- The indictment attributes to the defendant four counts of robbery with violence, three of assault, and one of belonging to a criminal group, with the aggravating factors of abuse of superiority and discriminatory motives based on the victims’ sexual orientation.
The Prosecutor’s Office is going to request 19 years and eleven months in prison for Y.D., the 21-year-old man arrested in El Ejido (Almería) for assaulting, along with other unidentified individuals, several men he met through the gay dating app Grindr, with the purpose of robbing them and “mocking” them for their sexual orientation.
What does the Prosecutor’s Office request for the accused?
The Prosecutor’s Office requests 19 years and eleven months in prison for the accused, according to its provisional indictment, consulted by Europa Press. The prosecutor attributes to him four counts of robbery with violence —one of them in an attempted degree—, three counts of assault of varying severity, and one count of belonging to a criminal group.
These crimes are compounded by the aggravating factors of abuse of superiority and “discriminatory motives”, due to the victims’ sexual orientation. The Public Prosecutor’s Office identifies the accused as “organizer” and “leader” of a group of individuals who allegedly acted with him to “neutralize any possible defense” of the victims, previously selected through the dating app.
How the accused acted: trap dates and fake profiles on Grindr
The accused allegedly created at least three fake profiles on Grindr, with different names and photos of other people, to serve as “lures”. Once the appointment was confirmed —always at night—, he asked his victims not to “stop in the urbanized area or knock on the door,” under the pretext of “avoiding being seen by neighbors.”
In this way, the meetings were moved to a nearby open area in Las Norias de Daza, a location where, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, the accused and his companions could “approach the boys without them being able to receive help.”
The three assaults being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office
The first noted assault dates back to New Year’s Eve 2025. The accused arranged to meet a young man between 1:00 and 2:00 AM in the open area; upon arrival, at least three more people with their faces covered with balaclavas appeared and shouted at him “come here, you fucking faggot, we are going to kill you”. The victim tried to flee but was caught, pushed to the ground, kicked, and bitten on the hand. They stole his mobile phone, valued at about 1,200 euros.
The investigation records two more consecutive assaults on the night of January 19, with the same modus operandi. A first victim was assaulted by the accused and two other companions, who snatched the car keys from him amidst insults, although he managed to escape. That same night, another man was assaulted by the accused along with three other individuals, who stole his mobile phone and several personal items, punched him in the face, and hurled homophobic threats at him.
The last investigated assault occurred on January 23, around 1:00 AM. Three men confronted the victim shouting “faggot”; he managed to escape at first but encountered his attackers again when he went to retrieve his car, where he was punched and kicked and had his belongings stolen.
“Discriminatory intent”: the hate aggravating factor in the indictment
The prosecutor argues that the way the accused and his companions acted responded to a “planning” and a “organizational structure”, in which the defendant assumed decision-making on how to act once the victims were selected “for their sexual orientation”, with an “evident discriminatory intent” and desire for “illicit enrichment.”
Fines, compensation, and the arrest of the accused
In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecutor requests several fines totaling four months at a rate of 12 euros per day, restraining orders and communication bans with the victims, and the payment of compensations exceeding 12,000 euros for the thefts and the physical and moral damages caused.
The suspect was arrested on February 3 of this year, as part of the operation “Urgi 26 Rolo”. At the time of the arrest, the agents attributed to him several robbery offenses with the aggravating factor of hate, in addition to an offense against privacy and the right to one’s own image.
Frequently asked questions about the Grindr case in El Ejido
How many years in prison does the Prosecutor’s Office request for the accused? The Prosecutor’s Office requests 19 years and eleven months in prison, as well as fines, restraining orders, and compensations exceeding 12,000 euros.
How did the accused choose his victims? According to the indictment, he allegedly created at least three fake profiles on the Grindr dating app to meet men and lure them to an open area in Las Norias de Daza (El Ejido).
How many assaults is the Prosecutor’s Office investigating? The indictment records at least four assaults: one on New Year’s Eve 2025 and three more between January 19 and 23, all with the same modus operandi.
What aggravating factors are attributed to the accused? The prosecutor applies the aggravating factors of abuse of superiority and discriminatory motives for selecting victims based on their sexual orientation.
When was the accused arrested? He was arrested on February 3 of this year, as part of the police operation “Urgi 26 Rolo.”
