A 31-year-old Sydney man has been charged by Victoria Police over allegations he used a dating app to lure people into a Melbourne hotel room, where he is accused of stealing their ID documents and using them to commit fraud.
Police arrested the man, who Gay Sydney News has chosen not to name for legal reasons, on Friday, April 11, at a hotel on Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
Detectives had been investigating a series of cases where a fake dating profile allegedly lured victims to a hotel room in Melbourne’s CBD. Once inside, the man is accused of obtaining personal identity documents and using them to commit further fraud.
Police have charged him with several offences, including obtaining financial advantage by deception and attempting to obtain financial advantage by deception. Each of the financial advantage charges carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison under Victorian law.
Court records show he appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court at 6.28pm on April 11 without a lawyer. He was granted conditional bail and is due to return to court on May 7.
His bail conditions include reporting to Ballarat police station once a week, residing at a specified address, and having only one mobile phone – the number of which must be provided to police.
Victoria Police declined to confirm whether it opposed bail, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
Gay Sydney News also contacted the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for clarification on whether police opposed bail, but it had not responded by the time of publication.
This article has been legally reviewed by LGBTIQ+ law firm Dowson Turco Lawyers.
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Gay Sydney News reporter
Gay Sydney News editor