Social media blamed for increase in rape

● New figures show dating apps and online forums behind ‘worrying’ statistics

Social media and internet dating has fuelled a rise in the number of rapes being recorded by police, new figures show.

Police Scotland said there were 87 rapes in 2016/17 where the victim met their attacker online – a 24 per cent rise on the previous year.

The figures have led officers to issue a warning to women who meet men they have been communicating with online.

Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston, head of Police Scotland’s national rape task force, said: “Social media and the internet are integral to many people’s social lives and this includes the use of dating apps and forums.

“What has become evident to us is when relationships start online they can progress quickly because people may not think of those they meet online as strangers. This includes the first meeting taking place in private or quickly moving to somewhere private.

“Yet someone you meet online may not be who they say they are. Sharing small bits of information such as your likes/dislikes, where you go out and the other platforms you use, can allow someone to build up a picture of you which they can then exploit.”

Mr Houston advised women who meet men in person to

online do so in a public place and to tell someone where they are going.

“If something doesn’t feel right, then make your excuses and leave,” he added.

Police Scotland said there had also been in an increase in rapes where the victim is asleep,withthemostcommon location for all rapes either the victim’s or perpetrator’s home.

Figures published last week show Police Scotland recorded 1,755 rapes in 2016/17, an increase of around 2 per cent on the previous year. It is not the first time police have warned women about the dangers associated with online dating.

Previous Chief Constable Sir Stephen House warned his officers were increasingly forced to deal with relationships which began in “virtual space” but had “quickly deteriorated” when the couple eventually met in person.

In 2016, Leuchars-based RAF serviceman Nathan Brown was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work after sending a string of distressing rape threats and sexually explicit messages to a woman he met on the dating app Tinder.

A spokesperson for sexual violence charity Rape Crisis Scotland described the trend as “worrying” and urged anyone affected by cases of rape to contact its helpline immediately.

She said: “Online dating can play an important role in people’s lives, and it is very concerning that we are seeing increasing numbers of predatory men using this to target people for rape.”

“We are aware it is an issue the police have been concerned about for some time, and it’s one we are hearing people talk to us about when they phone the Rape Crisis Scotland helpline, where they have met someone through an online dating site, and then been raped.

“If anyone has been affected at any point they can call our helpline on 08088010303.”