Woman guilty of stalking, harassment on gay dating app flees to France
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A woman who was found guilty of stalking, harassment and of sharing private sexual photos on a gay dating app has fled to France.
Yannick Glaudin posed as a man on the app between December 2017 and July 2018, according to BBC News.
She pleaded guilty to the string of charges, which included harassment without violence; stalking without fear, alarm or distress; and disclosing private sexual photographs on the gay dating app with intent to cause distress.
The 30-year-old entered her guilty plea on July 11 and was then granted bail—but subsequently failed to reappear in court.
Prosecutors say Glaudin has fled to France
A European arrest warrant is being sought and Inner London Crown Court has delayed sentencing while Glaudin is being tracked down.
Prosecutors claim she has fled to France—where she is originally from—according to the Daily Mail.
Claire Cooper, prosecuting, said Glaudin “moved back to France” following her guilty plea, and added: “Those who instruct me are in the process of obtaining a European arrest warrant for her.”
“Those who instruct me are in the process of obtaining a European arrest warrant for her.”
– Claire Cooper, prosecuting
However, the judge expressed concern that this could be challenging—given the “current political climate”— and asked the prosecutor if there was “a good chance” they would achieve their aim of tracking her down.
Cooper said that she believed they would be able to get the arrest warrant as they know where she is residing in France.
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A telephone hearing has been scheduled for 17 April where the court will decide whether she can be sentenced without being present. They will also check on the progress of the warrant for her arrest.
It is not clear what gay dating app Glaudin was using when she posed as a man in 2017 and 2018.
Police on alert in Belgium after Grindr threat
This is not the first time a gay dating app has been used for harmful purposes. Earlier this week, concerned members of the public in Belgium reported an anonymous Grindr profile to police.
The anonymous profile—whose name was down as Aanslag, the Dutch word for “attack”—warned that the gay community in Ostend should “prepare” as there would be an attack on local gay bars.
They said there were 27 people and that they cannot be stopped.
“But of course we are on the lookout.”
– Prosecutor Frank Demeester speaking about threats made on Grindr in Belgium
Prosecutor Frank Demeester told the Brussels Times that it is not yet known if the message was a joke or if it should be taken seriously. “But of course we are on the lookout,” Demeester added.
