Man sentenced to 20 years for dating-app rapes in Plymouth

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of rapes committed against three women he met through dating applications. Muhammad Ans was convicted of four counts of assault following a two-week trial at Plymouth Crown Court and will also serve an additional three years on extended licence upon his release. He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard that Ans targeted his victims on the apps Tinder, Bumble, and Baddoo between late 2023 and 2025. His pattern involved arranging dates, isolating the women, and assaulting them despite clear expressions of non-consent. After the attacks, he repeatedly contacted the victims, offering apologies, money, shopping trips, and meals in an attempt to dissuade them from reporting the crimes.

His first victim was contacted on Bumble and met in person near the end of 2023. After a meal, Ans took her to his accommodation in Coventry and raped her, assaulting her again in early 2024. When he messaged her in August 2024 seeking another meeting, she confronted him about the rapes. He apologized and offered to take her shopping, which she refused.

Approximately a week later, Ans connected with...