Nine missed chances to stop Tinder predator

Nine women separately told constabulary astir 1 of Scotland's astir prolific and predatory romance fraudsters successful the years earlier his arrest, the BBC has found.

Christopher Harkins was yet jailed for 12 years successful July 2024 but women who had tried to study him successful the erstwhile decennary said they felt "dismissed" erstwhile they approached Police Scotland.

A BBC Disclosure investigation has revealed that betwixt 2012 and 2019 Police Scotland received 9 reports from women who had met Harkins done dating sites including Tinder.

The women said they told constabulary that Harkins had recorded intimate pictures and videos without consent, abused and threatened them and stolen tens of thousands of pounds.

None of the reports resulted successful transgression charges astatine the clip and his victims said their archetypal complaints were dismissed arsenic "civil matters".

Police Scotland told the BBC determination were nary reports of carnal oregon intersexual maltreatment astatine that time.

They said they were "mainly astir the fiscal situation" and were each treated successful isolation.

The unit said its knowing of maltreatment had progressed since the instauration of caller home maltreatment authorities successful 2019.

Harkins carried connected offending until 2020.

He utilized dating sites similar Tinder to people women, typically singling retired successful, career-driven women astir Glasgow and the cardinal belt.

On his dating profile, the 38-year-old presented himself arsenic a jet-setting, business-owning, "gym rat", but successful world helium was 1 of Scotland's astir prolific and predatory romance fraudsters.

Harkins' scams included pretending to publication romanticist holidays, asking for wealth claiming his slope relationship was temporarily frozen oregon telling women helium was investing their savings for them.

In different cases helium pressured women to instrumentality retired loans of up to £12,000 to springiness to him and besides utilized their identities to instrumentality retired loans himself.

One pistillate was forced into bankruptcy portion others spent years paying disconnected debts, suffering intelligence wellness issues arsenic a result.

Many of the women who went to the constabulary were excessively ashamed to archer household and friends of their ordeals.

One unfortunate who tried to study Harkins successful 2019, aft she transferred £3,247 to him for a vacation booking that didn't exist, said she felt the women were fto down.

"The sheer fig of radical that came forward, I deliberation it's wide that determination were opportunities to investigate," said the woman, who we are calling Lisa to support her privacy.

"There indispensable person been a mode that helium could person been stopped earlier helium was."

Dr Jenn Glinski, from Scottish Women's Aid, said aboriginal reports of fiscal maltreatment springiness authorities a accidental to intervene earlier behaviour escalates to carnal oregon intersexual abuse.

When Lisa initially went to a constabulary presumption to inquire for help, she said she was told: "There's not truly overmuch we tin bash if your fellow doesn't privation to instrumentality you connected holiday".

"It was precise dismissive," she said.

"They seemed to beryllium a small spot unsure of however you would woody with that oregon however you would categorise that.

"I was asked whether oregon not I had slept with him astatine that point, which I didn't consciousness was relevant. I retrieve feeling truly frustrated."

Determined to exposure Harkins, Lisa emailed writer Catriona Stewart, who published an nonfiction successful Glasgow's Evening Times newspaper.

It rapidly became evident that Lisa was not the lone pistillate Harkins had targeted.

"Within a fewer hours of the nonfiction going unrecorded I had 5 women who had been successful interaction with Christopher Harkins telephone me," Ms Stewart said.

"It precise rapidly became evident to maine that this antheral had been operating for astatine slightest a decade, that his alleged crimes were acold much than financial. And that this was an idiosyncratic who was perchance precise dangerous."

After the paper nonfiction was published, constabulary revisited the humanities reports.

Harkins was charged and stood proceedings astatine the High Court successful Paisley successful May 2024.

One woman, whom we are calling Jane for ineligible reasons, met Harkins online successful precocious 2018 earlier progressing into a narration with him.

He stole from her and recorded an intimate video without consent earlier suggesting helium would nonstop it to her parents.

Giving evidence, Jane besides described an incidental erstwhile Harkins raped her.

"He was trying to person enactment with maine portion I was asleep," Jane said.

"The lone representation I person was discomfort. I retrieve feeling successful pain. I retrieve feeling uncomfortable. I retrieve feeling confused. I tried to propulsion him away.

"I retrieve this was a clip wherever helium grabbed maine by the neck."

After a two-week trial, Harkins was convicted of 19 offences including rape, assault, signaling an intimate video without consent, threatening and abusive behaviour and 4 different intersexual offences.

He besides admitted defrauding 9 women, including Lisa and Jane, retired of much than £214,000.

The BBC is alert of alleged frauds totalling a further £53,000 that person not been prosecuted and a further 9 alleged victims who were not progressive successful the trial.

DCI Lyndsay Laird led the Police Scotland probe into Harkins.

She said it was hard to accidental wherefore they weren't investigated earlier.

"Each 1 was reported astatine antithetic stages, truthful they weren't each reported together, they were reported successful antithetic divisions passim Police Scotland," she said.

She added: "There was nary reports of carnal oregon intersexual maltreatment ever made to the constabulary astatine that time.

"It was chiefly astir the fiscal situation, which erstwhile they're treated successful isolation, they person been taken arsenic civilian investigations.

"I deliberation it's harmless to accidental policing has evolved massively since the clip those archetypal reports person travel in."

Asked if Police Scotland would apologise to the victims who tried to study Harkins successful the years earlier helium was arrested, DCI Laird said: "I deliberation that's a precise hard question to answer.

"I deliberation they've got a palmy tribunal effect now, based connected the probe that was conducted.

"I would accidental with everything that we've enactment successful spot since then, I would anticipation that that acquisition wouldn't beryllium replicated now."

Harkins was archetypal arrested and appeared successful tribunal successful January 2020.

Despite his ineligible concern helium continued his scams and recovered a caller target.

We are calling her Naomi to support her identity.

Naomi was seeing Harkins successful 2020 portion helium was being investigated by police.

She alleges helium stole £550 from her and aboriginal pressured her to retreat £10,000 that helium had transferred into her slope account.

She was unaware of the allegations against him.

"[I had] nary idea", she said.

"If I did I wouldn't person been involved. It wouldn't person happened."

After spending a nighttime with Harkins, Naomi said helium sent her a inactive representation from a video he'd taken of her portion they were intimate, leaving her feeling "absolutely violated".

In the twelvemonth up to June 2024, astir £95m was mislaid to romance fraud successful the UK with the mean nonaccomplishment per idiosyncratic being £10,774, according to the nationalist fraud quality bureau.

In July past twelvemonth Harkins was sentenced to 12 years successful situation and placed connected the enactment offenders registry indefinitely.

Lisa, whose archetypal media interrogation sparked the constabulary probe that led to Harkins being jailed, said she felt vindicated for persevering.

She got her wealth backmost from Harkins months later, but astir women did not.

Lisa said: "I was conscionable truthful relieved for everybody that had stood up and told their communicative that determination had been a affirmative outcome.

"I conscionable deliberation they're incredibly brave and I'm truthful gladsome that they did bash it. The effect is precisely what should've happened years ago.

"I've felt for the past 5 years that I haven't been capable to determination on. It's a communicative I'm present arrogant to tell, alternatively than ashamed to tell."