Muhammad Ans has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of four counts of rape against three women he met through dating apps. The 29-year-old was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court following a two-week trial, with an additional three years to be served on extended licence.
Ans encountered the women on Bumble, Baddoo and Tinder between 2023 and 2025. He met his first victim on Bumble and arranged a face-to-face meeting towards the end of 2023. After dining together, he took her to his home in Coventry, where he raped her. He then raped her again in early 2024.
Messages and Offers After Assaults
When the first victim confronted Ans about the rapes via messages, he apologised and offered to take her shopping and for meals. She declined. A week later, in August 2024, Ans met his second victim on the Baddoo app, having moved to Tavistock. He picked her up in his car, drove her to his flat, and raped her despite her clear lack of consent. Messages presented in court showed Ans apologised and said 'he couldn't stop himself'. He offered to take her shopping and expressed a desire to get to know her, but she declined and reported him to police.
Detective Constable Craig Ferguson was assigned as the case officer. A wanted appeal was issued after Ans absconded from Tavistock; he was found in Leeds. In interview, Ans denied the offences, claiming sexual contact was consensual and that his admissions in messages were 'confusion on his part despite his clear acknowledgement and apologies.' His phone was seized and examined.
Third Victim Identified
In August 2025, police identified a third victim who said she met Ans through Tinder, went for a drink, then returned to her address where he raped her. Ans was arrested and charged. Examination of his phone revealed messages with his first victim, leading to additional charges and the joining of all three cases.
During sentencing, the court heard victim statements. The first victim said: 'I'm finding it hard to describe the initial impact of Ans' rape. After the violent event occurred, it felt like I had to burn everything that made up the woman I was, so that then it would have happened to her rather than me.' She described anxiety, nightmares and panic attacks.
The second victim stated: 'I still feel an intense amount of anger and rage towards him. I had told him 'NO', and I had pushed his hands away and pulled my leggings back up. My words meant nothing to him...' She called Ans a 'rapist monster' and a 'disgusting human being'.
The third victim said: 'I became scared to be at home on my own in-case he showed up, my own home felt wrong and unsafe.' She suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks, and found it difficult to trust others, especially men.
Judge's Remarks and Police Statement
Judge Matthew Turner KC stated each victim was in 'a vulnerable position' and that Ans initially appeared charming but exploited this for his own sexual desires. He noted Ans's failure to acknowledge his criminal behaviour was 'deeply troubling' and highlighted a 'complete disconnect' between how Ans perceived his actions and the 'single-minded pursuit of your own sexual gratification'. Ans was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
DC Ferguson commented: 'I welcome the sentence of Muhammad Ans today. In this case all three women were unknown to each other yet their experiences of Ans were all incredibly similar. The evidence clearly showed that he made the same types of comments and offers towards each victim after raping them.' He noted one victim was offered $3,000 in compensation if she would 'leave it', but she refused and provided screenshots as evidence.
DC Ferguson added: 'Ans is a sexual predator who targeted these women on dating sites with the sole purpose of meeting up with them for sex... Their clear boundaries and lack of consent did not matter to him.'
