An 18-year-old was reportedly robbed, assaulted and set on fire after going to meet a man he met on a gay dating site.
Content warning: This story may include topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable.
The teenager went to meet the man in St James, Jamaica on 11 October and is now fighting for his life in hospital.
Not only was he abducted and robbed, the unnamed teen had his penis partially severed before being set alight.
Police say they are looking for three men, including the person the teen was meeting from the dating site.
The victim is said to have told police that after arriving at the place they agreed to meet, three men were waiting for him who kidnapped him, stole his bank card, phone and other personal belongings.
He was then beaten by the trio, who forced him to share his bank information so they could go to an ATM and withdraw his money.
“They were unsuccessful,” a police officer told The Sunday Gleaner. “So they returned to where they were holding their victim, and on this occasion, he was forced to transfer money into an account that they gave him.”
The officer explained that the men were apparently drinking alcohol, which they used to cover the victim in.
He was then set on fire after having his penis partially severed before being left alone to die.
The officer added: “He is a very lucky young man because although they left him in a critical condition, he managed to make his way to a security checkpoint in the community where they assisted him to the hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition.”
According to the local newspaper, the region has experienced similar crimes like this in the past.
“This is not the first incident of this nature being dealt with by the police in St James,” the policeman explained. “There was a similar incident in 2020, where the now-deceased, 43-year-old Allie Jackson, who worked as a warehouse manager, went on a similar gay dating site and hooked up with an alleged single gay companion, who lured him to the Retirement community.
“Jackson, unlike this young man, was not so lucky, because on January 29, 2020, he left to meet his supposedly gay date during his lunch break, but he never returned to work as he went missing.”
The officer confirmed that after pursuing leads and discovering Jackson’s decomposed body, two suspects were taken into custody and charged with his death.
Galop is an LGBTQ+ charity there for those who have experienced abuse or have been the victim of a hate crime. They can be contacted Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm on 0207 7042040 or at HateCrime@galop.org.uk. You can find out more about them here.
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