Significant rise in men using data apps in Tasmania to sexually assault women and other men, support service says

It was 2014 and the dating app Tinder was relatively new. Aged 40 and having moved to Victoria, she decided to give it a try and found a man with plenty of shared interests and who had lived in Hobart as well.

But after going on a few dates, it didn't take long for him to start exhibiting psychologically abusive behaviour that quickly escalated to physical.

When she tried to break off contact, he starting showing up on her doorstep. So she sought protection from police.

READ MORE: Grand plans for Tasmania's first underwater restaurant

"When that happened, I found out that I wasn't the only one," Stacey said.

She still felt unsafe however, and didn't pursue charges in fear of retribution from the man.

Two years later, and after moving back to Tasmania, detectives asked to interview her again. Four other women had come forward with similar stories.

"And because I had the support of all of these other testimonies from these other women, we were able to push forward together and have him prosecuted," Stacey said.

"This predator alone had time and time and time again done the same thing, and it would be three months, three months, three months, three months, and that would be his cycle."

The man was ultimately jailed for 15 years.

The behaviour of men on dating apps has proven to be difficult to regulate, given the lack of proof of identification, the ability to use different names and ages, and to cycle through photographs.

Stacey said the apps could always be doing more to protect women.

"I think dating companies need to spend more of their profits on protecting the users... how they do that is a big question," she said.

"Those people can't be there to oversee your date and protect you, but what they can do is validate the person by their license or run a police check when you load a profile up."

Without those additional safety features however, Stacey said it was important to exercise caution.

"You just have to make sure if you do go on a date with somebody, that you let someone know where you are at all times. Make sure your location services are not on your phone," she said.

READ MORE: Vaccine mandate for public sector workforce

"I think it's really important these days that you tell your friends who you're on a date with, show them a photo of the person and the profile of the person you're going on a date with, and make sure that you go on a date in a public place."

Stacey felt "ashamed and embarrassed" to report her situation at first, but she urged women to contact sexual assault support services for advice if they experience abuse.

"Don't think you're alone, and don't be embarrassed about coming forward if something does happen to you on a date. It might turn out to be that you're not the only one, and you could put a stop to him hurting someone else in the future," she said.

Tasmania's Sexual Assault Support Service has seen a significant increase in the number of women and men making reports of abuse after meeting men on dating apps.

The service would usually receive 40 reports per month, but that has increased to more than 100 per month in the past six to 12 months.

READ MORE: Pre-travel COVID test rule scrapped for four states

SASS chief executive officer Jill Maxwell said it was a concerning trend affecting women, and also men seeking other men on dating apps.

They had received reports of drink spiking prior to violent sexual assault, and also misleading profiles to deceive - or "catfish" - victims.

Ms Maxwell said the service could discuss options with victims to make the process easier, and to ultimately protect other potential victims.

"What we're hearing from the people coming to us is that they're really embarrassed and feeling that they're at fault because they went online," she said.

READ MORE: 'Virtually unusable' boat ramp continues to plague residents

"The message for us is that they're not at fault, people are entitled to meet other people wanting intimacy, wanting a partner. However you meet people, it's irrelevant.

"The only cause of sexual assault is the perpetrator themselves, it's not the people seeking out other people for a partner.

"One of the reasons that we encourage women to come forward and talk about it is so we can stop these predators doing what they're doing."

*name changed at the request of the victim

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: