A woman who used dating apps to lure men to hotel rooms before subjecting them to violent robberies during supposed sex games has been jailed for nine years.
Dating App Deception and a Vicious First Attack
In July 2020, Caprice Brown, then aged 19, posed as a woman named Zara on the Badoo dating app. She enticed her first victim to book a room at the Jurys Inn in Birmingham. Once there, Brown and an unidentified woman tied the man up with masking tape. They then burned him multiple times with a hot iron after he said he could not remember his phone password.
The court heard the attack was prolonged and brutal, leaving the victim with serious burns to his shoulder, back, and side. The disturbance led to a neighbouring guest banging on the door, prompting the assailants to flee. They stole the victim's wallet, bank card, and an Aston Villa season ticket. Later, Brown used his details to purchase an iPhone worth nearly £1,000 from Argos.
A Second Victim Targeted in Coventry
Just months later, in September 2020, Brown struck again with an accomplice, Karissa Alfrez. A second man was lured to the Britannia Hotel in Coventry after meeting a profile named Maia on Tinder. After he returned to the room with alcohol, Brown and Alfrez burst from the bathroom.
This victim was also restrained with masking tape and handcuffs. The pair threatened him with a pair of scissors to force him to give up his phone details before robbing him. He eventually managed to escape the room while still bound and gagged to seek help.
Sentencing and Lasting Impact on Victims
At Birmingham Crown Court, Brown, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of robbery, fraud, and assaulting an emergency worker. Her accomplice, Alfrez—who now identifies as a man named Damani Scott-Slue—was found guilty of robbery and sentenced to six years in prison.
Passing sentence, Judge Simon Drew KC described the offences as "really nasty." He noted the first attack in Birmingham was the more serious, stating it was "obviously planned and went on for a considerable amount of time." The judge revealed the profound impact on the victims: the first man had to give up his job and move away, while the second suffered "extreme degradation."
Police linked the fraudulent phone purchase to Brown's IP address. When arrested, she described herself as a sex worker. A search of her address uncovered items stolen from the first victim.
