Online Dating Crimes
Crimes linked to online dating including rape and blackmail have more than doubled in the past three years. Dating websites were named in 378 crime reports by Britain’s police last year which is up from 180 mentions in 2013.
The worst offender among the sites was the popular PlentyOfFish which recorded 63 offenses, with eight rapes and five sex attacks, according to a study carried out by the Sun. Second was badoo, which had 17 offenses including two rapes.
From 2013-15 dating sites were linked to a staggering 828 criminal cases including 88 allegations of rape, 49 sex attacks and 180 violent crimes. There was also 115 cases of harassment and stalking and 43 incidences involving blackmail. Just last year a mother of two was murdered after being attacked by her possessive boyfriend, who she had met through PlentyOfFish.
Darren Jeffreys, 47, repeatedly punched 45-year-old Karen Catherall in the head and strangled her in an alcohol-fuelled attack at her home in Gwernaffield near Mold, Flintshire. He was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for her murder. Authorities are concerned about how vulnerable women become when using the websites with 85 per cent of victims thought to be female.
