'Wake up call' for Brits on dating apps as rapist targets women who swipe right
A vile rapist who met his victims on dating apps has been told by a judge that his conviction is a "wake up" call for others.
Lewis Vanmeer-Sheridan, 28, lured the victims after they "swiped right". He attempted to rape a teenage girl in 2020. Months later he met another woman and raped her twice.
He was jailed for eight years and four months on Thursday after he was found guilty of two counts of rape and one attempted rape.
A court heard he struck up conversations with women and travelled from his home in Milton Keynes, Bucks., to meet them.
Sentencing him at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Rupert Mayo said: “I hope this trial has been a wake up call for you and all people who decide to use hook-up apps to meet people because the extent of your evidence was that, if someone swipes right and you have a match, then you have the green light to have sex with them.
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Lewis Vanmeer-Sheridan has been jailed for more than eight years (Northamptonshire Police / SWNS)“That is not right because, at any stage, anyone can withdraw consent and you have to be sure that - when you do attempt to have sex with them - you have their consent. It is quite simple.”
The court heard the woman Vanmeer-Sheridan raped suffered a broken rib in the attack and had suffered mental meltdowns ever since.
Ben Gow, prosecuting, said: “She went from being an outgoing, confident young woman to doubting herself all the time and overthinking every decision she has to make.”
In a victim impact statement, his teenage victim said: “You thought it was okay to violate me, violate my body and affect my life with complete disregard for my choice.”
She added that since he tried to rape her, she had suffered from emotional problems and anxiety since the attack.
Addressing Vanmeer-Sheridan in her impact statement, she said: “I am no longer a normal teenager and this is because of you.”
Pree Brada, defending, said Vanmeer-Sheridan cares for his mother who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
She added that he had been on remand in prison following his arrest in January 2021,
She said: “His behaviour has been good, if not, excellent in prison.”
Vanmeer-Sheridan was also handed a a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
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