A court in Antwerp has sentenced a man from Deurne to 5 years in jail following a rape conviction. The 27-year-old was accused of the rape, assault and extortion of over twenty victims he contacted via dating website Tinder and messaging service Snapchat.
Under the sentence he will also stay under the supervision of the judicial authorities for a further decade when his term is served.
The young man operated a false profile to contact women. He then encouraged them to send sexy pictures, which he then threatened to make public and send to relatives and employers if the women refused to meet his appetite for further images.
He also used threats to force four women to perform sexual acts.
Few of the victims attended the court proceedings. “The victims feel dreadfully ashamed” Wouter Smet, the lawyer of one of the women victims, says. “It’s a new reality we can’t ignore. The internet is claiming victims. It’s good that the court recognises this and imposes stiff penalties.