Man who tricked straight men into sex by posing as woman on Tinder jailed

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A man who posed as a woman online to trick would-be suitors into blindfolded sexual encounters at his flat has been jailed.

Duarte Xavier lured four men to his home in Wandsworth, southwest London, by taking on the “convincing” persona of a young woman called “Ana” on dating apps such as Tinder.

Once they had arrived at the flat, the 33-year-old made excuses to prevent his victims from seeing the woman they were expecting to meet, by forcing them to wear a blindfold or covering their face.

He would then sexually assault the men, leaving one so scarred he developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Kingston Crown Court heard.

Handing down a 15-year sentence on Friday, vice-judge advocate general Michael Hunter told Xavier: “You have been found guilty of what can only be described as a campaign of deception and obtaining sex by pretending that you were a woman.

“By pretending that you were an attractive and sexually adventurous young woman, you tempted them into engaging in sex with you.

“I have taken into account your deliberate and cruel tactics that you carefully used to subject your victims to this activity.

“You have demonstrated no remorse or understanding of the position of your victims.”

The court had heard Xavier was a “liar and a fantasist” who using his female alter ego sent provocative images and messages to his victims to encourage them to visit his flat.

He committed the four assaults between February 2016 and April this year, getting arrested twice in the process but not being charged by police until a third complaint had been made.

Xavier had been discovered midway through sexual encounters by two of his victims, as they removed the blindfolds he had instructed them to wear.

Both left his flat immediately after realising they had been duped and the second victim reported the incident to police in October 2017, leading Xavier to be arrested.

A third victim, who had initially been too embarrassed to report the incident, said he was instructed by “Ana” to meet in King George’s Park in Wandsworth, where the pair had sex.

It was not until they met for a second time several days later that the victim saw Xavier and learned who he had intercourse with.

After learning he had been tricked, a fourth and final victim was so angered by the ordeal he called police immediately, waiting outside the flat for officers to arrive and apprehend Xavier.

In an impact statement to the court, one victim said he had been emotionally scarred for life by the encounter.

“He was so convincing. It was supposed to be a bit of honest fun between two consenting adults,” he said. “I now have extreme stress, anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

“I was a people person before and loved meeting new people. Now I feel I’m carrying around a dark secret that will always be part of me. I hope one day I can learn to trust people again.”

Following the sentencing, the Metropolitan Police called for anyone else who may have also been a victim of Xavier to come forward.

“Xavier demonstrated extreme manipulation and cunning in order to satisfy his own sexual gratification, setting bizarre conditions that the victims adhered to in the belief that they were part of the experience,” DC Lucy Marsh, of Scotland Yard’s southwest command unit said.

“He is a sexual predator and I hope the victims, all of whom were traumatised by their experiences, will see the sentence today and feel that justice has been done.

“I thank them again for their bravery not only in telling us of their ordeals, but in facing difficult and challenging questions throughout the judicial process.”

Additional reporting by PA