Rapist sentenced for targeting victims via dating apps
Eight years has been spent in jail for a rapist who targeted victims of dating apps.
The court heard that Lewis Vanmeer Sheridan, 28, matched online with women and then traveled from Milton Keynes to meet them.
One time, he tried to rape an 18-year-old girl in 2020. Months later, he met another woman who raped her twice.
Vanmeer Sheridan was sentenced to eight years and four month in Northampton Crown Court on Thursday after he was found guilty by two counts of rape, and one attempt rape.
Judge described his conviction to be a “wake up” call for users of dating apps.
The court was told that Vanmeer Sheridan raped the victim and broke her rib. She had also been suffering from mental health issues since.
Ben Gow, prosecuting, said: “She went from being an outgoing, confident young woman to doubting herself all the time and overthinking every decision she has to make.”
In a victim impact statement, his teenage victim added: “You thought it was okay to violate me, violate my body and affect my life with complete disregard for my choice.”
She stated that since he tried rape her, she’d suffered from anxiety and emotional problems.
Addressing Vanmeer-Sheridan in her impact statement, she said: “I am no longer a normal teenager and this is because of you.”
Judge Rupert Mayo added: “I hope this trial has been a wake-up call for you and all people who decide to use hook-up apps to meet people because the extent of your evidence was that, if someone swipes right and you have a match, then you have the green light to have sex with them.
“That is not right because, at any stage, anyone can withdraw consent and you have to be sure that – when you do attempt to have sex with them – you have their consent. It is quite simple.”
Pree Brada, the defender, stated that Vanmeer-Sheridan takes care of his mother, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Vanmeer Sheridan, who was on remand from January last year, was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He will now be on the Sex Offenders Register until his death.