A Brussels criminal court sentenced Rayan R. to seven years in prison and Anas T. to three years, with one year to be served, for homophobic attacks via the app Grindr.
Rayan R. was found guilty of eight assaults committed between 7 April and 23 June 2024. Anas T. participated in three of these attacks, which the court ruled had a homophobic motive.
The two men, aged 20 and 19, lured victims into parks in Anderlecht and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean with the intent to insult, assault and rob them because of their sexual orientation.
They used the Grindr app to pose as men seeking romantic relationships, arranging meetings to trap their victims.
While the defendants admitted to the attacks, they disputed the homophobic motive. They claimed they believed, based on unreliable social media content, that their actions would prevent paedophiles from targeting children.
