Nine missed opportunities to stop Tinder stalker

Nine women told different police about one of Scotland’s most vicious and predatory romance fraudsters before his arrest, the BBC has found.

Christopher Harkins was eventually jailed for 12 years in July 2024 but women who tried to report him over the past decade said they felt “dismissed” when they contacted Police Scotland.

bbc revelations investigation revealed that between 2012 and 2019 Police Scotland received nine reports from women who met Harkins through dating sites, including Tinder.

The women said they told police that Harkins recorded intimate photographs and videos without their consent, abused and threatened them, and stole thousands of pounds.

None of the reports at the time led to criminal charges and his victims said their original complaints were dismissed as “civil matters”.

Police Scotland told the BBC that there were no reports of physical or sexual abuse at the time.

He said they were “mainly around the financial situation” and that each was kept in isolation.

The force said it had progressed in its understanding of abuse since the introduction of new domestic abuse legislation in 2019.

Harkins continued to commit crimes throughout 2020.

He used dating sites such as Tinder to target women, usually choosing successful, career-driven women from around Glasgow and the Central Belt.

On his dating profile, the 38-year-old presented himself as a jet-setting, business-owning, “gym rat”, but in reality he was one of Scotland’s most prolific and predatory romance fraudsters.

Harkins’ scams included pretending to book romantic holidays, asking for money by claiming his bank account had been temporarily frozen or telling women he was investing his savings for them.

In other cases he pressured women into giving him loans of up to £12,000 and also used their identities to take out loans himself.

One woman was forced to file bankruptcy, while another took years to repay the debt, resulting in mental health problems.

Many women who went to the police were ashamed to tell their ordeal to their family and friends.

One victim who tried to report Harkins in 2019 after she transferred £3,247 to book a holiday that did not exist said she felt the women had been let down.

“The number of people who came forward, I think it’s clear that there was opportunity for investigation,” said the woman, who we’re calling Lisa to protect her privacy.

“There must have been some way it could have been stopped before it happened.”

Dr Jane Glinski from Scottish Women’s Aid said early reporting of financial abuse gives authorities the opportunity to intervene before the behavior escalates to physical or sexual abuse.

When Lisa initially went to a police station to ask for help, she said she was told: “There’s not really much we can do if your boyfriend doesn’t want to take you on holidays”.

“It was very dismissive,” she said.

“They were a little unsure about how you would deal with it or how you would classify it.

“I was asked whether or not I had slept with him at the time, which I didn’t think was relevant. I remember feeling really disappointed.”

Determined to expose Harkins, Lisa emailed journalist Catriona Stewart, who published an article in Glasgow’s Evening Times newspaper.

It immediately became clear that Lisa was not the only woman Harkins had targeted.

“Within hours of the article going live, five women who had been in contact with Christopher Harkins called me,” Ms Stewart said.

“It became clear to me very quickly that this man had been operating for at least a decade, that his alleged crimes were much more than financial. And this was an individual who was potentially very dangerous.”

After the newspaper article was published, police revisited historical reports.

Harkins was charged and stood trial at the High Court in Paisley in May 2024.

A woman, who we’re calling Jane for legal reasons, met Harkins online in late 2018 before pursuing a relationship with him.

He stole from her and recorded an intimate video without consent and suggested he send it to her parents.

While giving evidence, Jane also described the incident when Harkins raped her.

“He was trying to have sex with me while I was sleeping,” Jane said.

“The only memory I have was discomfort. I remember feeling pain. I remember feeling uncomfortable. I remember feeling confused. I tried to push her away.

“I remember it was the time when he grabbed my neck.”

After a two-week trial, Harkins was convicted of 19 offences, including rape, assault, recording an intimate video without consent, threatening and abusive behaviour, and four other sexual offences.

He also admitted defrauding nine women, including Lisa and Jane, of more than £214,000.

The BBC is aware of an alleged fraud of more than £53,000 which has not been prosecuted and nine other alleged victims who were not involved in the trial.

DCI Lindsay Laird led the Police Scotland investigation into Harkins.

He said it was difficult to say why he was not investigated earlier.

“Each one was reported at different stages, so they weren’t all reported at once, they were reported to different divisions across Police Scotland,” he said.

He added, “There was never any report of physical or sexual abuse made to the police at that time.

“It was mainly around the financial situation, when they are treated in isolation, they are taken up as civil enquiries.

“I think it’s safe to say that there has been a massive evolution in policing since the initial reports came out.”

Asked whether Police Scotland would apologize to victims who tried to report Harkins in the years before his arrest, DCI Laird said: “I think that’s a very difficult question to answer.

“I think based on the investigation so far they have got a successful court outcome.

“With everything we’ve done since then, I will say that I hope that experience will never be repeated.”

Harkins was first arrested and appeared in court in January 2020.

Despite his legal status he continued his scams and found a new target.

We are calling her Naomi to protect her identity.

Naomi was seeing Harkins in 2020 while the police were investigating him.

She alleged that he stole £550 from her and later pressured her to withdraw £10,000 which he had transferred to her bank account.

She was unaware of the allegations against her.

“(I) had no idea”, she said.

“If I had done that, I wouldn’t have been involved. This wouldn’t have happened.”

After spending a night with Harkins, Naomi said he sent her a still image from a video he had taken while they were being intimate, leaving her feeling “completely humiliated”.

According to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, by June 2024, almost £95 million was lost to romance fraud in the UK, with the average loss per person being £10,774.

In July last year Harkins was sentenced to 12 years in prison and placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Lisa, whose initial media interview led to the police investigation that led to Harkins’ jailing, said she felt guilty for standing firm.

Months later she got her money back from Harkins, but most women do not.

Lisa said: “I was so relieved for all the people who stood up and told their stories that there has been a positive outcome.

“I think they are incredibly brave and I’m so glad they did it. The outcome is exactly what should have happened years ago.

“For the past five years I have felt like I was unable to move forward. This is a story I now feel proud of telling, rather than ashamed of it.”

If you have any information about this story please email explore@bbc.co.uk to speak to a journalist.

Additional reporting by Katie McAvinney