Christopher Harkins: The ladies who introduced a Tinder predator to justice

It started with a brief e mail from a stranger asking for assist and it ended six years later with a violent fraudster and rapist being jailed for 12 years – due to an unbelievable group of ladies and their battle for justice.

It was 2017 and I used to be working as a newspaper reporter once I received the e-mail from a lady who detailed how she had met a person named Christopher Harkins on Tinder and he had stolen £3,247 from her.

Lisa, who’s utilizing a pseudonym as a result of she does not wish to be linked to this story endlessly, defined that Harkins had lovebombed her, advised they go on vacation collectively after which, when she transferred the cash, went quiet.

It rapidly transpired the vacation wasn’t actual and Harkins wouldn’t refund the money.

Lisa was afraid Harkins would go on to rip-off another person. It did not happen to Lisa – or to me – that it was a rip-off he had already honed with expertise.

Lisa had gone to Police Scotland for assist and been instructed the difficulty was a civil matter.

Annoyed, however decided, now she wished to guard different folks by exposing this man within the press.

We spoke on the telephone and she or he laid out the scenario, how he’d overwhelmed her with consideration, had been the proper gentleman. And the way issues had rapidly modified when he determined to push her for cash.

Lisa, a wise, spectacular, skilled lady in her 30s, supplied screenshots of WhatsApp conversations and checking account particulars.

It was clear in a short time that this man was a grasp manipulator but it surely wasn’t till I spoke to him on the telephone that I realised how expert he was on the observe.

Monitoring him down was the exhausting half.

Lisa had instructed Harkins that she had spoken to a journalist and he was, as an example, unimpressed.

He promised repeatedly to provide her the cash again if she put a cease to the story – however did not truly make a transfer to return the money.

Once I known as him – on the 2 numbers I had for him – he did not reply.

Lisa’s story was credible, and she or he had exhausting proof, however we wished to talk to Harkins to listen to his aspect.

All of the sudden, Lisa was in contact to say Harkins had agreed to return her cash. She was to satisfy him at a chip store on the south aspect of Glasgow.

I went together with her, ready exterior with a photographer to attempt to converse to Harkins.

The cash was there in an envelope. There was no signal of him although.

We determined to publish the story, having tried all we may to trace him down. After which my telephone rang. It was Harkins.

Chatting with him was a baffling expertise. It was exhausting to maintain him on monitor.

He would state one factor after which, when challenged, in a short time change his place.

He tried to steer me that Lisa was threatening him and he was afraid of her.

Harkins had had his likelihood to have his say – and we printed the story.

Inside the hour of the article logging on I had an e mail from one other lady claiming to have been focused by Harkins. After which one other.

My telephone began ringing. I may inform as quickly as I picked it up that this is able to be one other Harkins goal – he clearly had a kind: good and articulate.

Lisa, who I used to be updating on a regular basis, was appalled. Neither of us had any thought how prolific he may need been.

Some girls wished to inform their tales publicly whereas others simply wished an outlet to share what had occurred to them.

I heard tales of fraud, of manipulation, of verbal abuse – and worse.

One caller was a person who had identified Harkins in his early 20s and warned me to watch out.

He claimed to have identified Harkins to be bodily violent and wished me to know what I used to be coping with.

We ran a second story within the paper.

This was one other lady who had been conned by the vacation rip-off – this time in England. Harkins, in turned out, had been working throughout the nation.

She misplaced £1,600 to the pretend vacation con and had additionally been pressured to take out loans for him, which fortunately she did not do.

Greater than 20 girls had contacted me by now and I had interviewed a number of who wished to go public, listening to dreadful tales of fraud but in addition bodily and sexual violence.

Many had gone to the police solely to be instructed – as Lisa had been – that this was a civil matter.

Then, Police Scotland contacted me. They mentioned that they have been going to analyze and will we please cease writing about Harkins in order to not tip him off to how a lot was identified about him.

Not eager to jeopardise any case, we agreed.

Ladies I had interviewed have been contacted by Police Scotland and a number of other determined to make formal complaints.

They knew it was going to be an extended and gruelling course of – however they wished this man taken off the streets.

Months handed and the await the ladies was intensely hectic.

Lastly, in December 2019, he was arrested. All of us thought this was the start of the top and the ladies relaxed slightly.

In early 2020 my telephone rang. It was a lady in London.

This lady mentioned that she had stayed with Harkins in a five-star resort in an upmarket a part of the town.

A receptionist on the resort had taken her apart and instructed her the person she was with was utilizing a false identify, was the truth is known as Christopher Harkins and she or he ought to Google him.

The lady instructed me she discovered my articles on-line and skim them, with growing horror.

I listened with my coronary heart in my mouth as she instructed me she went again to their room, the place Harkins was nonetheless asleep, and took his pockets from his bag.

His financial institution card mentioned Christopher Harkins. She took her belongings and left.

Understanding, at the moment, what I knew about Harkins’ different behaviour, which wasn’t within the public area, I had such an awesome feeling of reduction that he hadn’t woken up.

He scammed one other lady in London, and she or he went to the Metropolitan Police, who acted rapidly.

He was convicted and jailed, which was each a reduction to the ladies in Scotland and a frustration.

The English proceedings meant the upcoming trial in Scotland can be delayed. Once more.

Simply earlier than Harkins was imprisoned in England he known as my editor to complain that I used to be orchestrating a marketing campaign towards him as a result of I used to be obsessive about him. That took a little bit of explaining.

The delays have been intensely hectic to the ladies concerned within the case however they have been decided to see it by.

Their bravery and solidarity was unbelievable to witness.

When the case known as on the Excessive Court docket in Paisley final 12 months I attended on daily basis of court docket.

Harkins by now was a diminished determine. I might seen him years earlier than within the Excessive Court docket in Glasgow and he had been a muscular, imposing man.

Now he was thinner, his court docket swimsuit too massive. He was a person obsessed by look and I can solely assume his saggy shirts and mismatched footwear and trousers precipitated him stress.

Harkins was discovered responsible of 19 offences together with rape, assault, recording an intimate video with out consent, threatening and abusive behaviour and 4 different sexual offences.

He additionally admitted defrauding 9 girls out of greater than £214,000.

In July final 12 months Harkins was sentenced to 12 years in jail. As he was handcuffed to be led to the cells, he turned to take a look at me within the gallery.

“That is due to you,” he mentioned. No. This was due to the ladies who have been courageous sufficient to face as much as him.

If there’s something to be taken from story of Christopher Harkins, it’s the dedication of those girls and the way in which they held their nerve for years, standing collectively as a pressure Harkins that, in the long run, couldn’t reckon with.