GoFundMe for Grindr honeytrap tradie Blake Nightingall taken down
A fundraiser seeking to help a young tradie with legal bills has been taken down following an outpouring of support for the 20-year-old who bashed a man after enticing him to meet with a fake Grindr profile.
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A fundraiser seeking to help a young tradie with legal bills has been taken down following an outpouring of support for the 20-year-old who bashed a man after enticing him to meet with a fake Grindr profile.
Blake Dean Nightingall, a 20-year-old apprentice tiler, pleaded guilty in Cairns Magistrates Court to assault occasioning bodily harm in company and stealing over his role in the “vigilante” attack on October 22 last year.
The court heard Nightingall used a photo of himself as a 14-year-old to set up a fake Grindr account before arranging to meet a man behind the Smithfield Library.
The man suffered cuts and bruises and was hit in the face several times with fists, choked from behind, thrown to the ground twice, dragged a short distance and ordered to hand over his bank details and phone.
Following the publishing of the court report in the Cairns Post on Monday, Nightingall has been inundated with support.
The social media post garnered 1600 likes, 102 shares and 168 comments, nearly all of which were in support of Nightingall’s crimes.
“Give him a medal, not a court date,” was the sentiment driving the response to the assault while suggesting the Grindr “honeytrap” stunt ought to be awarded by making Nightingall an Australian of the Year.
Nightingall’s co-offender Max Fryer has already been sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, with immediate parole.
On Monday, a fundraiser on the GoFundMe platform called Buy Blake a Beer managed to attract $660 in donations before being taken down.
In Queensland, the Criminal Proceeds Confiscation Act 2002 aims to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes.
Following a spiking of the appeal on Tuesday, a GoFundMe spokeswoman explained why the fundraiser was taken down.
“The fundraiser in question was removed as it does not meet the GoFundMe terms of service,” she said.
All donors have been refunded.
Magistrate Adam Johnson sentenced Nightingall to 10 months’ imprisonment, with an immediate parole release date.
No charges have been brought against the victim of the assault according to police due a lack of evidence and the defendants involved refusing to provide officers with mobile device unlock codes.
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Originally published as GoFundMe for Grindr honeytrap tradie Blake Nightingall taken down
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