Tinder rapist who swindled women out of £210,000 through ‘love scam’ jailed

A rapist who targeted single women on dating apps and tricked them into paying more than £210,000 has been jailed for his “horrific” crimes. Christopher Harkins preyed on women in a six-year reign of terror between 2013 and 2019, targeting victims in Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, East Kilbride, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley and Stirling.

The 37-year-old committed 19 separate offences against 10 different victims, including rape, assault, physical abuse and fraud. Harkins, from Helensburgh, quickly befriended the women and gained their trust by posing as a successful businessman before making up stories about why he needed short-term cash loans.

Several women borrowed significant sums to help him. The High Court in Kilmarnock heard that some of them got into “financial difficulties” and received very little back. Harkins persuaded several women to send him money for the holidays, sending them screenshots of the supposed destinations.

He persuaded her to pay half the cost, but never booked the trips and did not return most of the funds given to him. On 16 January he pleaded guilty to fraud at the High Court in Glasgow and four months later Harkins was found guilty of raping one of his former partners following a trial at the High Court in Paisley.

He was also convicted of filming two women in intimate situations without their consent and then sending them the graphic content. Judge Alistair Watson sentenced the sex demon to 12 years in prison on Wednesday, July 10.

He said: “You targeted single women on dating websites. After achieving your goal with each victim, you moved on to the next and repeated the process, leaving a trail of emotional devastation and financial hardship in your wake.”

“Your conduct towards your victims is evidence of the utmost guilt. You have abused the trust that each of your victims has placed in you. The number, nature and manner in which you committed your crimes indicate a high degree of planning. They were committed over a long period of time and against a significant number of individual victims.

“The damage you have caused is extremely high. These scams are commonly referred to as ‘love scams’. The court recognizes that this is a special type of scam that exploits a person’s sympathy and feelings. Your fabricated requests and explanations regarding your need for money were in fact calculated tricks designed to exploit the decency of these women.”

Harkins’ name was also placed on the sex offender registry indefinitely. In addition, indefinite restraining orders were issued preventing Harkins from making or attempting to contact ten victims.

Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s sex offender prosecutor, said: “Christopher Harkins clearly poses an extreme danger to women through his calculating, manipulative and violent behaviour. His numerous victims have shown tremendous courage by coming forward and reporting him to the authorities.”

“This conviction will hopefully provide some comfort to the women he targeted and protect others from his reprehensible schemes and depraved actions. This was a complex case and I thank the prosecution for their efforts in securing this conviction.

“We would like to encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of similar crimes to come forward and report it. We will listen to you and use all the means at our disposal to seek justice.”

Detective Chief Inspector Lyndsay Laird of Police Scotland said: “Christopher Harkins is a violent and despicable individual who targeted women seeking love and companionship. He led them to believe they were in a loving and exclusive relationship, but that was nowhere near the truth.”

“His only motive was money. Harkins met the woman on a dating app and after developing a relationship with her, he resorted to manipulation, threats, coercive control and violence to obtain thousands of pounds to fund his very lavish lifestyle. The fact that he was convicted is a huge credit to the women who came forward to police.

“This case shows that domestic violence is not just physical or sexual violence, but also includes abusive behaviour or financial abuse. It is often about power and control and can have life-changing consequences for victims.

“We sincerely hope that this outcome will give others who may experience something similar the confidence to come forward, knowing that the police will investigate.”

Don’t miss out on the latest news from Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.