A young man who blackmailed Grindr users for money has been jailed for two and a half years.
Liam Hull, 22, contacted many men on the gay dating app, with the aim of targeting users who weren’t out or who were married.
He would initially get pictures from the men & use their name and phone numbers to find out their real identity using social media.
He then threatened to expose them to their friends & family, demanding money in order to keep quiet.
The 22-year-old, from Luton, Bedfordshire pleaded guilty to three counts of blackmail at Luton Crown Court last week.
The court heard that one victim paid the blackmailer £1,000, and another was driven to confess to his wife of 20 years.
Another man was said to have had a stroke after being contacted by Hull.
Liam Hull was arrested in May when some of his victims contacted the police, although there are fears that there were more victims who did not come forward.
After receiving £1,000 from one victim, Hull apparently told him: “Thanks, just be careful who you speak to next time.”
During the court proceedings it was heard that Hull had previously been convicted of contacting someone on Grindr under a different name and asking for £200 to meet up.
Prior to this, he was given a police caution for threatening to post explicit pictures of someone on Facebook.