Three “misguided” vigilantes have been locked up after they lured, filmed and bashed gay men in Berwick parklands.
Mahdi Nowruzi, Abdullah Bloch and Albin Idrizi, all 20, pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to the violent attacks which included an armed robbery in September last year.
The trio had used fake profiles on dating apps Grindr and Scruff to meet up with two victims at night.
Bloch was also involved in an attack on a third victim.
In sentencing on 26 June, Simon Moglia said their acts were a “horrific example of group think” and “misguided, mutual peer pressure” in targeting men to make “easy money”.
The group’s repeated, offensive comments particularly about gay men were “absolutely abhorrent” – and aimed to denigrate and humiliate their victims.
On 27 September, a victim was lured on Grindr to meet a purported 22-year-old man in a Berwick park.
Later, one of the group called to falsely claim they were only 15.
In the darkness, a group of males inflicted “substantial humiliation” during a prolonged, videoed attack.
As he fled, he was tackled to the ground, kicked to the face, beaten with a metal pole and put in a choke hold to the point that he lost consciousness.
He was told “f***ing fags should die and go to hell,” and that “you’ve got to stop f***ing around with gay guys” and to delete Grindr, get married and have kids.
Under threats of violence, the victim was told to open his bank app on his phone.
The group stole $8000 from his account in two withdrawals, leaving messages “Happy Birthday” and “Thanks for a special night”.
The victim was told to get on the ground, look into the camera and apologise. He was told not to move until the group left.
He made his way to a police station, where an ambulance was called. He was hospitalised with a fractured eye socket and nose as well as internal bleeding, bruising and swelling.
Five nights earlier, another victim was filmed as he was gang-bashed.
An assailant tried to choke him with rope, and another told the victim to run or he’d be killed. If he reported it to police, they threatened to release the video on YouTube.
On 1 September, Bloch and three other men surrounded a victim and videoed him being slapped, kicked and put in a choke-hold.
They threatened to post the video online.
When arrested in October, the three co-accused gave no-comment interviews and refused to allow police to access their phones.
At the time, Bloch and Idrizi were already on CCOs for violent offending.
In December, Nowruzi was released on Youth Justice-supervised bail, since complying with appointments, counselling and drug-and-alcohol treatment.
Showing “partial” remorse, Nowruzi said he was motivated by witnessing child-sex abuse.
Sentencing judge Simon Moglia said there was no basis for Nowruzi believing the victims were sex offenders, nor any reason for him to act like he did.
Bloch showed limited insight and a lack of remorse and empathy for his offending – expressing that the victims deserved what they got.
He was assessed as a high risk of violent reoffending.
Judge Moglia also didn’t accept Bloch’s stated motive – to confront paedophiles and sex offenders – as a reasonable excuse.
Idrizi was said to have suffered unresolved trauma from child abuse in the past, which Judge Moglia accepted contributed to his offending.
A psychologist reported Idrizi no longer expressed hostility to gay men. In the past, he couldn’t distinguish between them and sex offenders.
He also showed some insight and remorse, and showed more prospects for reform than his co-offenders, the judge said.
Bloch was jailed for three years and four months, with a 22-month non-parole period.
Nowrizi was sentenced to two years and seven months in youth detention.
Idrizi was jailed for two years and eight months, with an 18-month non-parole period.
Each of them were ordered to pay compensation for the robbery.
