Police missed NINE chances to stop 'Scottish Tinder Swindler' who conned and raped women
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A man who conned and raped women he met on dating apps was reported to police nine times before his arrest, it has been revealed. Christopher Harkins was jailed for 12 years in July 2024 after he was convicted of a catalogue of serious sexual, violent and financial offences against women he met online. The predator targeted a number of women across Scotland, with victims in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, Edinburgh, Stirling, Paisley and West Lothian, between 2013 and 2019.
The 38-year-old preyed on women he stalked on apps while pretending to be a "perfect guy". Harkins painted himself as generous, successful and charming, but was really a violent, thieving, rapist. He had a sinister agenda, targeting women who were smart, attractive and career-driven.
He carried on with his offending until 2020 before he was eventually arrested. And now BBC Scotland reports prior to this point, the predatory conman was reported to police nine times. Police Scotland received the reports from women who had met Harkins through dating sites including Tinder.
They said they told police he had recorded intimate pictures and videos of them without his consent and he went on to threaten them, stealing tens of thousands of pounds, reported the Daily Record. None of the reports resulted in criminal charges at the time and his victims said their original complaints were dismissed as "civil matters".
One victim tried to report Harkins in 2019 after she transferred £3,247 to him for a holiday booking that didn't exist. She said she and other victims felt let down. The woman, who remains anonymous, told BBC Scotland: "The sheer number of people that came forward, I think it's clear that there were opportunities to investigate. There must have been a way that he could have been stopped before he was.".
