Croydon man jailed for blackmail after threatening to publish images of naked victims he met on dating app

A man has been jailed for blackmail after threatening to publish private sexual photographs of people he met on a dating app unless he was paid.

Patryk Hrymak, 27, of Norbury Crescent, Norbury, was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment in for eight counts of blackmail and two counts of disclosing photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

Hrymak would meet the victims on a dating app before moving the conversation to online messaging and exchanging naked images.

Hrymak would give the victim the impression that he intended to meet up with them but before that, he would insist they confirm who they were by providing social media profile details.

When he had gained access to the victim’s phone number and social media contacts, Hrymak would threaten to send their naked images to their social media contacts unless they paid him.

Many of the victims blocked Hrymak and reported him to police but one victim paid him £120 in order to prevent him sending the images.

In six of the eight cases, Hrymak sent images to the victim’s contacts.

Detective Constable Keval Varia, investigating, said: “The victims in this case were contacted via a male only dating app, however anyone using any form of online dating service, should be wary of sending intimate photographs of themselves. Think carefully about what you share with people online.

“I hope that the sentence handed down brings a measure of closure for the victims.”

(Main Picture: Square Mile News)