A 20-year-old Queensland man has pleaded guilty to a violent, premeditated assault and robbery against another man he lured through a fake Grindr profile.
Blake Dean Nightingall faced Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday, pleading guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm in company and stealing in connection with the October 2023 attack.
The court heard Nightingall created a fake profile on the gay dating app Grindr, using photos of himself taken when he was just 15. He initiated a conversation with the victim, eventually organising to meet at Smithfield Library.
According to police, Nightingall claimed the man had sent explicit photos during the exchange and said he wanted to “teach the man a lesson” for allegedly messaging what he believed to be an underage person.
“There’s another side to it,” Nightingall told arresting officers. “It’s not like the other fella is fully innocent – the messages and shit – that gay dating app Grindr, there’s fellas on there all keen to meet up with 14-year-old boys… it was a silly idea.”
When questioned why he didn’t report his concerns to police, Nightingall chillingly replied that “it made more sense to get a funny story out of it.”
Assault caught on video
Nightingall was one of three people involved in the assault. The court heard another man was carrying a baseball bat when they approached the victim. The man was punched in the face, choked from behind, thrown to the ground and dragged before being forced to hand over his phone and bank account information.
Nightingall told police he didn’t physically attack the victim but admitted to filming part of the incident on his phone.
Magistrate: “You acted like judge, jury and executioner”
Magistrate Adam Johnson condemned the vigilante-style attack, sentencing Nightingall to 10 months’ imprisonment with immediate parole.
“The circumstances were appalling… you saw yourself with the other offenders as judge, jury and executioner,” Johnson said.
“You’re not a sworn constable – you don’t have the power to investigate offences. You acted like a vigilante law enforcer.”
Johnson noted there was no evidence to support Nightingall’s claims against the victim.
“The whole construct is uncorroborated, bare allegations… with no support.”
Defence cites “lack of maturity”
Defence solicitor Jacqueline O’Reilly said Nightingall was “otherwise of good character,” had no prior criminal history, and accepted the “unacceptable” nature of his actions.
“The offending displays a lack of maturity and gung-ho attitude that is quite typical of young men of this age bracket,” she said.
Nightingall was also fined $900 for two drug offences from the time of his arrest and ordered to pay $599 in compensation to the victim within two weeks.
One co-offender, Max Fryer, has already received a similar sentence of 10 months’ jail with immediate parole. A third alleged attacker is yet to face court.
Broader trend of Grindr-based attacks
The Queensland incident is not isolated. Similar attacks using Grindr to lure victims have occurred across Sydney, Canberra, Victoria, and Western Australia.
In May, Victoria Police reported arresting 35 individuals, mostly teenagers, for Grindr-related assaults over an eight-month period.
Victoria’s LGBTQIA+ Commissioner Joe Ball called these incidents “deliberate, organised, and hateful.”
“To our communities: I see you, and I know how distressing this is,” Ball said. “Many of us remember the days when violence against gay men was normalised, overlooked – even expected. We will not go back.”
