Grindr: Yorkshire leader of gang who robbed dating app users jailed

Villian Kessel was described as the leader of the gang which met men from the app between April and May 2024 in Bradford and Leeds before stealing items from their homes or demanding money.

In one horrifying incident, a victim was forced into a car and made to transfer more than £600 to an online bank account while being threatened with assault.

The 20-year-old, of Buxton Street, Bradford, admitted four counts of burglary and one count of robbery and was sentenced for four-and-a-half years in a young offender institution at Bradford Crown Court on Monday (Apr 7).

Another member of the gang, Aribri Sinaj, 22, was convicted alongside him after being convicted of his involvement in another of the burglaries.

Sinaj, of Brougham Street, Burnley, was jailed for two years.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Priscilla Haigh from Bradford CID, said: “This has been a complex investigation and I want to praise the victims who have been extremely resilient throughout what has been a truly terrible ordeal for them all.

“I also want to thank them for their bravery in coming forward to report the offending so we could investigate it.

“I hope the sentences handed down go some way to helping them move forwards knowing these offenders have been brought to justice.”