Detective Senior Sergeant Damon Wells: 

Police are urging users of dating app users to take steps to protect
themselves when meeting up with people they’ve only spoken to online.

In the Christchurch Youth Court today, five teenagers were sentenced in
relation to attacks on several innocent people in the city last year. The
offenders met their victims through dating apps and attacked them in secluded
locations late at night.

While details of the sentencing are subject to Youth Court restrictions, the
victims showed incredible courage and that has helped us convict these
offenders.

The victims have done nothing wrong. The offenders made a choice to take
advantage of people’s trust and planned these attacks with the intention of
hurting people.

While this sentencing brings some closure, it won’t undo the mental scars
these victims have endured, or the pain they’ve gone through.

If you’re using an app for dating, tell a close friend if you’re meeting
someone for the first time – where you’re going and who you’re meeting.
Arrange to catch up in a busy location, and trust yourself; if something
doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate to take action to keep yourself safe.

The victims of these crimes have gone through an ordeal, but we can’t thank
them enough for their bravery through this process.

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