A 44-year-old man in south-east England who stole from men he met on gay dating websites has been jailed for five years.
Nicholas Rowell, who used the name 'Slick Nick' online, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one of burglary at Preston Crown Court, reports the UK's Pink Paper.
He met one man a number of times before stealing his car, cash, phone and laptop. He also took jewellery, a laptop, a phone, a camera and a debit card from a transvestite man.
Both men had given him their house keys after he gained their confidence with several visits.
Police LGBT liaison officers in Briton say Rowell's conviction proves they take cases involve men meeting online seriously.
"Members of the LGBT community have traditionally been a target for this type of crime by offenders who thought they were soft targets," says Nick Antjoule of Sussex Police.
"I would urge those using dating websites to keep their wits about them."
