Yahoo News Rapist who targeted victims on dating apps is jailed for eight years
Lewis Vanmeer-Sheridan, 28, matched with women online and then travelled from his home in Milton Keynes to meet them.
A rapist has been jailed for eight years after he targeted victims on dating apps.
Lewis Vanmeer-Sheridan, 28, matched with women online and then travelled from his home in Milton Keynes to meet them, the court heard.
On one occasion, he attempted to rape a teenage girl in 2020 and then months later, he met another woman and raped her twice.
On Thursday at Northampton Crown Court, Vanmeer-Sheridan was jailed for eight years and four months when he was found guilty of two counts of rape and one attempted rape.
The judge described his conviction as a "wake-up" call for people using dating apps.
The court heard the woman Vanmeer-Sheridan raped suffered a broken rib in the attack and had suffered mental health issues 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 added: “You thought it was okay to violate me, violate my body and affect my life with complete disregard for my choice.”
She said since he tried to rape her, she had suffered from emotional problems and anxiety.
Addressing Vanmeer-Sheridan in her impact statement, she said: “I am no longer a normal teenager and this is because of you.”
Judge Rupert Mayo added: “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.
“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.”
Pree Brada, defending, said Vanmeer-Sheridan cares for his mother who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Vanmeer-Sheridan, who has been on remand since last January, was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
