Dating App Predator Receives 16-Year Sentence for Violent Campaign Against Women
A serial domestic abuser who used dating applications to meet, kidnap and terrorise two women has been handed a 16-year prison sentence after a judge determined he presents a 'very high risk of serious harm to women'. Phillip Mensah, aged 41, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to 11 years' immediate imprisonment with a five-year extended licence period, following convictions for multiple serious offences against two separate victims.
Pattern of Coercive Control and Extreme Violence
The court heard that Mensah possesses 23 previous convictions for 74 offences, many involving domestic violence. Judge Moore described Mensah's offending as demonstrating a long-standing and deeply concerning pattern of coercive, controlling and violent behaviour. The judge warned that if Mensah were released into the community without strict supervision, the risk of serious harm would be 'imminent'.
In relation to the first victim, Mensah was convicted of kidnap, false imprisonment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a terrifying ordeal in September 2022. The pair had met on the dating app Thursday just ten days before the attack began.
First Victim's Harrowing Ordeal
While the woman was on holiday with friends, Mensah became jealous, possessive and controlling, accusing her of infidelity and demanding access to her mobile phone. During one incident, he seized her phone, discovered messages to a male friend, and hurled it at her car window with such force that the glass shattered. He subjected her to a torrent of vile abuse, calling her a 'slag'.
Later that evening, the violence escalated dramatically. Mensah forced her to sit on a sofa while he paced the room screaming accusations. He waved a wine glass in her face before striking her with a gas fire lighter. The situation deteriorated further when he retrieved a kitchen knife and began making explicit threats.
Despite her pleas that he was frightening her, Mensah dragged her into a downstairs bathroom, blocked her exit, placed his hand around her neck, and held the knife close to her face while threatening: 'I'm going to stick this in your face and carve up that pretty face of yours.'
The victim told the court she was 'terrified' as he threatened her son and ex-partner, saying he would get others to 'finish her off'. The ordeal continued for hours as Mensah forced her to drive around south London, stopping at various addresses, collecting cash, and intimidating her by suggesting he possessed a firearm while searching for duct tape and a tarpaulin.
At one point, when she asked if he intended to kill her, Mensah chillingly replied: 'I don't know - I haven't decided yet.' The victim stated unequivocally: 'I absolutely believed he would kill me that day.'
Devastating Impact on First Victim
In a powerful victim impact statement, the woman described how the attack destroyed her life, leaving her suffering physically, emotionally and mentally. She now struggles with insomnia, flashbacks, panic attacks and deep depression including suicidal thoughts, requiring antidepressant medication.
The psychological trauma forced her to leave the home she had occupied for a decade and move into council accommodation. Her son had to relocate to live with his father because she no longer felt capable of protecting him - something she described as her 'biggest heartbreak'.
She has reduced her working hours, cannot use public transport alone, gave up her pets, and finds even basic daily tasks 'debilitating'.
Second Attack Shortly After Prison Release
Mensah went on to attack a second woman in August 2024, just weeks after his release from prison for a separate offence involving attempting to drive his car into door staff outside a nightclub in 2020.
In relation to this second victim, he was convicted of threatening a person with an offensive weapon or bladed article in a private place, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and intentional strangulation.
The pair had been in a relationship for approximately three weeks after meeting online. The court heard Mensah repeatedly sought reassurance, asking: 'You won't leave me, will you?'
Violence Escalates During Second Assault
During the attack, while the victim's teenage son slept upstairs, Mensah seized her phone, accused her of sleeping with another man, called her a 'whore' and a 'liar', and repeatedly struck her around the head and face. One blow caused her to fall to the floor feeling dizzy, but he shouted at her to get up and threatened to put her into a coma and attack her mother.
The violence intensified as he strangled her, interrupting her breathing, before moving to a knife drawer and holding a blade close to her face while threatening to cut her up and slice her face open.
Fearing for her life and her child's safety, she managed to escape during a brief opportunity and called 999, fleeing to her mother's home for protection.
Judge Identifies Striking Similarities Between Attacks
Sentencing Mensah, Judge Moore noted the 'striking' similarities between the two attacks, demonstrating a repeated pattern of violence driven by jealousy, control and fear of abandonment.
Despite Mensah showing some remorse and completing domestic abuse courses while in custody, the judge stated it was 'far too little and far too late'.
'You are assessed as posing a high risk to women - a very high risk of serious harm,' Judge Moore declared. 'At least 21 previous partners have alleged abuse by you. If you were released into the community, the risk of harm would be imminent and serious.'
Extended Licence to Protect Public Upon Release
The total 16-year sentence comprises 11 years' imprisonment followed by a five-year extended licence period specifically designed to protect the public upon Mensah's eventual release from custody.
One of the victims concluded her statement with a direct message to her attacker: 'I hope my presence here makes you reflect deeply on accountability, responsibility and morality as a human being. I remain stoic in my trust in justice - and I am proud that I have seen this through.'
The case highlights the severe dangers posed by serial domestic abusers who exploit dating platforms to identify vulnerable victims, and the critical importance of extended sentencing provisions for protecting potential future targets from harm.
