A man was reported to police nine times before being jailed for serious sexual and financial crimes against women he met online
Glasgow: A shocking case has come to light. A man named Christopher Harkins conned and assaulted women he met on dating apps. He was reported to the police nine times before they finally arrested him.
Harkins, 38, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was found guilty of multiple serious crimes against women from 2013 to 2019. His victims were from various places in Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.
This guy pretended to be the perfect partner. He was charming and successful on the surface. But underneath, he was a violent criminal. He targeted smart, attractive women, using dating apps like Tinder.
He painted himself as generous but was actually a thief and a rapist. His crimes continued until 2020, when he was finally caught. Before that, police received nine reports about him, but nothing was done.
Women told the police he recorded intimate videos without their consent and threatened them. They lost tens of thousands of pounds to him. Sadly, their complaints were dismissed as “civil matters.”
One victim shared her story. She lost over £3,000 for a holiday that never existed. She felt let down by the police. Another woman said when she reported him, the police were dismissive and didn’t take her seriously.
Harkins was convicted of 19 offences, including rape and fraud. He defrauded nine women out of more than £214,000. Now, he’s on the sex offenders register for life.
Police Scotland is now looking into why the earlier reports weren’t investigated properly. They admit policing has changed a lot since then. They hope victims today would be treated differently.
