A man who created a fake Tinder profile in his ex-girlfriend's name to lure multiple men to her home for what they believed was a 'rape fantasy' has been jailed for eight years.
Asad Hussain, 36, used the dating profile to invite strangers to the woman's address, telling them she wanted to be 'roughed up' and falsely claiming any resistance meant she 'wanted it more', a court heard.
Victim's ordeal began after ending brief relationship
Chester Crown Court heard at least 18 men are believed to have been deceived into attending the victim's home, although police say the true number may never be known. On one night alone, four men arrived at her address one after another after receiving near identical messages.
The victim's ordeal began after she ended a brief relationship with Hussain, who had initially contacted her on social media using the alias 'Mick Renney'. Prosecutors said he became increasingly controlling before the relationship ended in May 2024.
Hussain subsequently contacted her daughter and friends, accusing her of cheating on him, before making numerous attempts to rekindle their relationship which she refused. Then in late July 2024, multiple men began attending her home address saying they'd matched with her on Tinder and she had invited them round.
Men told victim she wanted 'rape fantasy'
On one night in August 2024, four men attended her address one after another, all reporting having received almost identical messages. Other men who turned up at her home told her that her messages said she wanted to engage in a 'rape fantasy' and that she wanted to be 'roughed up'. They'd also explained they were led to believe that if she said 'no' it meant she 'wanted it more'.
In September 2024 she went to answer her door after the doorbell rang. As she approached, a man shoved the door causing a glass panel to smash. When she explained her situation, he showed her messages from the fake Tinder account telling him that the front door was open for him and that he should give the door a 'shove' as it was 'stiff'.
Later that day, she had gone to work when another man attended and managed to enter her house while her teenage daughter was upstairs alone. He remained inside the address for several minutes before leaving, without incident.
Hussain used multiple phones and changed car registration
It was soon found that Hussain had made significant efforts to conceal his real identity and avoid detection. He changed the registration of his car and used completely separate dedicated mobile phones for his 'Mick Renney' alter-ego and the fake Tinder account.
Hussain was arrested on October 6, 2024 after officers from Cumbria Police sighted his van on the M6. The court heard that the pair had dated briefly in 2024 but that Hussain had become 'possessive, jealous and controlling', 'turning up at her address at all hours' and questioning her about other men.
'On May 5 2024 you spent the day interrogating her and tried to grab her mobile phone,' said Judge Michael Leeming to Hussain, 36, who was watching via video link from HMP Altcourse. 'You grabbed her wrists, causing her to fall and hurt her arms.'
After the relationship ended, Hussain continued to contact her friends and daughters in attempts to get back together. By July he had created a fake Tinder account using her details.
Judge: 'You sent as many as 35 men to her home'
'You sent a significant number of men, as many as 35, to her home address,' the judge continued. 'You told some she had a rape fantasy and told some to 'give the door a good shove', which happened on two occasions. You spied on her from a nearby layby and unmatched with the men on Tinder once they had followed your instructions. On one occasion, four men attended the house on a single day.'
In a statement read out by prosecution barrister Gemma Gordon, the victim said she felt 'constantly' in danger 'wondering who is going to knock on the door next'.
'I was with my husband for more than 20 years and after his death I tried to date again,' she said. 'Look what has happened. I suffer from ill health which has been severely impacted by the stress of trial. Will this end now he has been convicted? This has been a terrifying ordeal. My home has been violated. He created a fictional narrative that put my life at risk. There are so many men out there who were told that I want them to enter my home and harm me. Just because I told Asad no. What happens if I come across one of them?'
'I am permanently anxious and scared and nowhere feels safe. It is a pure miracle that I was not harmed but I still have mental scars. What did Asad want? Did he want me dead, harmed, raped? What was his goal? What did my neighbours and children think? My daughter has not slept in the house ever since as she does not feel safe in her own home. They feel like I brought danger into my home and they look at me differently now. Our relationships are shattered.'
'We were not in a relationship and it became clear that he was not who he said he was. I thought once it ended that he would leave me alone. Why did he not? No man has the right to put a woman in fear. No should mean no. He has never accepted responsibility for what he did, I have never had an apology and I don't think I ever will.'
Hussain denied involvement and refused to provide iPad password
The court heard that Hussain deployed a 'significant' degree of planning and tactics to frustrate police, changing his registration plate and using multiple mobile phones, which he later disposed of. He also refused to provide the password for an iPad after police issued a section 49 RIPA notice.
Hussain continued to deny all involvement, the court heard, with defence barrister Phillip Clemo acknowledging that a pre-sentence report 'made it plain' that Hussain 'did not accept the verdict'. He was said to have been employed as a central heating engineer and had no previous convictions other than one for failing to identify the driver for a speeding offence.
Hussain was found guilty of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, assault by beating and failing to comply with a legal notice requiring him to provide access to electronic devices. Hussain, of Hankinson Avenue, Heald Green, Cheadle, was sentenced to eight years in prison and handed a 15-year restraining order.
