Sex crimes linked to online dating websites double
SEX attacks linked to online dating sites have almost doubled in recent years, police forces have disclosed.
Sexual offences where dating sites such as Tinder or Bumble were mentioned in a police report have increased from 156 in 2015, to 286 last year.
The figures, from 23 of the 43 forces in England and Wales, also reveal that between 2015 and 2018 there was a total of 2,029 recorded offences – including those of a sexual nature – where an online dating website or app was mentioned in a report. In 2015, 329 offences were recorded, compared with 658 recorded offences last year.
Victims who experienced violent crimes through dating apps are calling on companies to do more to protect users, including asking for proof of ID and carrying out criminal record checks to prevent offenders from using dating apps to target victims.
The mother of Katherine Smith, who was murdered in September 2017 by Anthony Lowe two months after they met on the Plenty of Fish site, said companies should “double-check” a user’s past before allowing them to sign up.
Lowe pleaded guilty to murder at Cardiff Crown Court last year and was jailed for a minimum of 18 years.
He faked his identity to meet Ms Smith, saying he was 10 years younger and that his name was Tony Moore, and failed to mention his criminal past.
Katherine’s mother, Debbie, told the BBC: “They should double-check people before they let them on to these sites, it’s so easy. If Katherine had known he had a criminal record, she wouldn’t have gone out with him.”
Last week, James Mcnutt, 33, was jailed for 13 years for rape and controlling behaviour after violently attacking his former girlfriend whom he met on Tinder. The woman, who gave an interview under the pseudonym Sarah Smith, forced herself to “play dead” during the ordeal in the hope he would stop. She said: “He strangled me as he raped me. He put a pillow over my face, trying to smother me. I had to play dead … it was the only way to make him stop. I thought that if he thought I was dead, he’d run off, which he did.”
Earlier this year, Jeremy Wright, the Digital Secretary, wrote to Tinder bosses demanding to know what checks they have in place to determine the age of their users.
It came after police disclosed they had investigated more than 30 cases of child rape since 2015 where victims evaded age checks on dating apps.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said firms had a social responsibility to prevent abuse on their platforms.
George Kidd, the chief executive of the Online Dating Association, which represents some of the online dating and app firms, said the companies were unable to conduct criminal record checks on users but did work with police and were committed to doing all they could to help keep people safe.