Amsterdam man receives 10-year sentence for armed robberies targeting Grindr users
A 23-year-old Amsterdam resident, Lucas M. from Geuzenveld, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for his role in a series of violent home robberies targeting men he met through the dating app Grindr. The attacks occurred in Amsterdam and Haarlem during August 2024 and involved extreme physical violence, threats with firearms, and coercion for money.
The court found that Lucas M. actively participated as a co-perpetrator in crimes that included torture, assault, and armed robbery.
Judges emphasized that the use of Grindr to lure vulnerable, homosexual men into their homes significantly aggravated the offenses.
In the most violent incident on August 10, 2024, in Amsterdam-Noord, the victim was tied up with duct tape, threatened at gunpoint, and subjected to brutal torture for an hour after telling the attackers he had no cash and a 1,000 euro credit card limit.
The assailants cut off the tip of his middle finger, sawed his knee with a wood saw, cut his ear with scissors, and shaved his eyebrows and hair. They fired two shots at him before fleeing. Lucas M. later collected the victim’s credit card and attempted to withdraw money at the Molenwijk shopping center, eventually obtaining 100 euros.
“The fear, panic, and physical pain the victim must have experienced are unimaginable,” the court wrote. “The victim still bears visible scars and suffers ongoing psychological effects from the assault.”
Earlier, on August 5 in Haarlem, Lucas M. and accomplices tried to rob another man after arranging a meeting via Grindr. The victim was struck in the head with a firearm and kicked before the perpetrators fled when alerted neighbors intervened.
On August 12, 2024, the group also visited an Amsterdam resident who had rented a property to a criminal. Demanding 200,000 euros allegedly stolen by the tenant, the suspects threatened the man at gunpoint.
Lucas M.’s defense that he believed he was only there to translate was rejected by the court. “The defendant must have known the intent of the visit and did not distance himself from the use of threats and a firearm,” the court concluded.
Lucas M. was also found guilty of cocaine trafficking and preparations for the trade of cocaine and LSD between July and September 2024, as well as possession of counterfeit driver’s licenses.
His two Brazilian accomplices, already imprisoned in Portugal for other crimes, are expected to be extradited to the Netherlands early next year for trial.
The court labeled Lucas M.’s actions “calculating” and deliberately exploitative, noting that without his knowledge of Dutch and logistical support, the Brazilian accomplices could not have executed the planned robberies.
