Man jailed for 20 years after raping women he met through dating apps
Muhammad Ans, 29, used dating apps to meet his victims between 2023 and 2025
Last updated 30th Jul 2026
A man who raped three women he met through dating apps has been jailed for 20 years.
Muhammad Ans, 29, who resided in Tavistock, was convicted of four counts of rape committed against three women following a 14-day trial at Plymouth Crown Court.
Today (30 July) at the same court he was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a further three years to be served on extended licence.
During the trial the court heard Ans used dating apps to meet his victims between 2023 and 2025.
Ans met the first victim on the dating site Bumble before meeting in-person towards the end of 2023.
Following an initial meeting and meal, he took her back to his accommodation in Coventry where he went on to rape her.
After this initial offence, Ans went on to rape the same woman again in a series of events in early 2024.
The court heard how Ans messaged the first woman again in August 2024, and asked to meet up with her. She confronted him about him raping her over a series of messages and he apologised and offered to take her out shopping and to go for meals together. She refused.
Just over a week later, Ans met the second victim via the dating app Baddoo. By this time, Ans had moved and was now living in a flat in Tavistock.
After some initial messaging, Ans collected the second victim in his car and invited her back to his flat where they proceeded to drink some alcohol.
The woman made it clear to him that she was not interested in sex, but he went on to rape her.
Messages between them shown at court show that after Ans had dropped the victim home, she had messaged him and challenged him about what did to her .
In response to these challenges Ans messaged the victim back apologising to her and stating that he couldn’t stop himself.
Ans went on to offer to take the victim shopping and claimed that he wanted to get to know her and go to the beach with her. The victim refused and told him that she was going to report him for what he had done to her.
The incident was reported to police that same day, and an investigation was launched.
Ans was identified, and his vehicle details established.
A wanted appeal was issued for Ans, and he was located and arrested in Leeds having fled Tavistock after having been challenged by the victim.
In interview, Ans denied the offence but agreed that he had met the victim. He claimed that all sexual contact between them had been consensual and that his admissions in the messages were a confusion on his part despite his clear acknowledgment and apologies.
Ans’ phone was seized from him and submitted for examination. Ans was bailed with conditions not to contact the victim.
In August 2025, another victim was identified by the officer. She disclosed that she had met Ans via Tinder and had gone for a drink with him before going back to her address where he raped her.
Ans was further arrested in relation to this offence and was charged and remanded.
In review of the digital download Ans’ phone data, police discovered the messaging between Ans and the first victim.
The officer then managed to identify and contact the victim who confirmed that she too was victim of rape by Ans. He was then charged with these offences too, and the case for all three victims was joined.
Upon sentencing, the court heard from all three women who were abused by Ans.
The first victim said: "I rarely slept, and when I did, nightmares accompanied me.
"My anxiety was through the roof, supplemented by intrusive thoughts, intense nausea, and debilitating panic attacks."
The second victim said in a statement: "When I think about what Ans did to me; him raping me started a chain of events that have led to some of the darkest and most difficult times that I have faced in my life.
“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, and I now recognise that he had already decided what was going to happen to me, regardless of whether I consented to it or not.
“People think that a rapist is someone hiding down an alley, or in a bush with a knife, that will drag you away and force themselves on you… but Ans made me realise that a rapist can be charismatic, educated and can arrive with a smile."
The third victim said: “In terms of the physical impact, it took me many weeks before I was able to sleep properly again. Even now, I continue to experience nightmares and flashbacks relating to what happened. I became scared to be at home on my own in-case he showed up, my own home felt wrong and unsafe.
“Psychologically, the impact of these events has affected almost every aspect of my life. I have suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks as a result of my experience with Ans."
During sentencing Judge Matthew Turner KC spoke of how each victim was at the time of the offending in a vulnerable position in their lives and said Ans’ lack of recognition of his criminality was “deeply troubling."
Following conviction, DC Ferguson said: “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.
“This included apologising to them, telling them that it was a mistake, and that people make mistakes when first meeting, as well as offers of giving certain victims money and to take them shopping.
“In relation to one of the victims, it was also explained that he had offered to pay her $3,000 in compensation if she would ‘leave it’. This victim refused his offer and had screenshot the messages he had sent, and sent these on as part of her evidence.
“Ans is a sexual predator who targeted these women on dating sites with the sole purpose of meeting up with them for sex. His motivation was clear.
“These women were looking for meaningful relationships, and were not seeking casual sexual encounters, and they made this clear to Ans.
“Despite this Ans created situations where they were each caused to be alone with him, and he then proceeded to rape them, and forced them into depraved sexual acts.
“Ans was driven by his sexual appetite, and the voices of his victims did not matter to him. He chose what was going to happen, and he forced his will onto others.
"Their clear boundaries and lack of consent did not matter to him.
“I want to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the three victims in this case who have each displayed tremendous courage and strength, both in giving their evidence to the police, but also in attending the court to give their evidence in a lengthy trial.
“The trial has been complex process, and the victims have shown patience and resolve in waiting to provide their evidence to the court. This case could not have brought without their support, and I want to thank each of them personally.
“Ans has been found guilty of these heinous crimes and he will now be imprisoned for a lengthy period in custody.
“We remain committed to supporting women and girls who are victims of violence, and those persons who have been the victim of sexual offences. We will listen and will actively seek charges and prosecutions against those responsible for such offending.”
Ans will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for life.