A Melbourne man has appeared in court charged over an attempt to blackmail after he allegedly demanded $1300 from a man he met on a gay dating app in return for not revealing his sexuality.

Timothy Ruge, 34, appeared in court on Monday representing himself according to Nine News.

Ruge is accused of using the dating app, Grindr, to threaten to disclose the activities of another man to a third person before demanding money.

Court documents allege Ruge demanded $1,300 from his unnamed victim at Docklands in March this year. He was captured on CCTV waiting to collect a payment at Southern Cross Railway Station.

Outside the court Ruge is reported to have described the situation as an “unfortunate circumstance”. He will return to court on 23 June with legal representation.

OIP Staff