Three young men who lured victims they found on Grindr and then assaulted them for “Catch a Predator”-style videos they posted to social media received light sentences from judges in New Zealand, despite finding that they were all guilty of committing hate crimes.

Thomas Bull, Patrick Moloney and Ethan Jeffs, who were 18 or 19 years old at the time of the assaults, were sentenced to between just 8.5 and 10.5 months home detention for the assault spree.

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The three were convicted on charges of assault, injuring with intent to injure, and posting a harmful digital communication.

A summary of facts in the case said the three teens were in a Snapchat group they called “Freaky Group”, where they discussed catching “so-called pedophiles” and planned what they would do on their next “hunt”, the New Zealand Herald reports.

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A similar pattern was followed in multiple assaults, with the young men creating fake profiles on Grindr, exchanging messages with their intended victims, and luring them to private homes, parks, and streets, often late at night.

A total of 13 separate assaults occurred between August and September 2024.

When the victims arrived at their destination, they were ambushed by the three, with attacks that included “punches, kicks, stomps and slaps.” At least one victim was made to strip naked.

All of the assaults were filmed and edited into videos  — many with music and titles — that were then uploaded to social.

Some videos included added drama when the victims would try and run. The group would take chase, with some wearing balaclavas for the “hunts.”

Victims suffered bleeding, bruises, grazes and cuts to their faces, prosecutors showed.

So-called “pedo hunts” have plagued both New Zealand and Australia over the last several years, with the slickest videos racking up millions of views on TikTok and other platforms.

The judge in Moloney’s case said at his sentencing hearing, “to describe these assaults as despicable and cowardly is something of an understatement.”

All three judges in the separate cases agreed the multiple assaults added up to hate crimes.

Jeffs’ lawyer argued that her client’s intention was not to target gay men but to target pedophiles.

The judge disagreed.

Despite the defendant’s claim that “these people had a sexual interest in minors,” the judge couldn’t “divorce that from the fact that you targeted gay men.”

“It was the targeting of gay men, and the clear conclusion I have reached is that this was a hate crime,” the judge said.

He also declined to give Jeffs a sentencing discount for “good character.”

“Your character is someone who enjoyed humiliating and disrespecting other people, who enjoyed watching victims squirm, be fearful, enjoyed intimidating them and have enjoyed further humiliating them by participating in the uploading on to social media of what occurred,” the judge said.

Jeffs compounded that impression by initiating further assaults following the first and failing to think, “What the heck have I done?”

Given that rebuke and others, the light sentences are surprising. Despite the physical injuries, humiliation, and “considerable emotional distress” inflicted on their victims, the defendants won’t serve any time behind bars.

Moloney’s judge cited him becoming a new father.

The defendant should “think about what role modelling you need to provide for your son,” the judge told him, and how Moloney would feel about him being “dealt with in the way that you dealt with the victims of your offending.”

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