This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-35699471
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Match.com user Jason Lawrance guilty of rapes and assault | Match.com user Jason Lawrance guilty of rapes and assault |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A man has been found guilty of raping five women and attacking two more after meeting them on internet dating site Match.com. | A man has been found guilty of raping five women and attacking two more after meeting them on internet dating site Match.com. |
| "Sexual predator" Jason Lawrance, 50, of Liphook, Hampshire, used two profiles to meet the seven women. | |
| Lawrance, who will be sentenced on Thursday, committed three sex attacks months after marrying someone he met via the site, Derby Crown Court heard. | |
| The attacks took place between June 2011 and November 2014. | |
| Live updates and more from Derbyshire | Live updates and more from Derbyshire |
| The court was told Lawrance used his profiles keepitstraighttoday and straightmanlooking on Match.com but was keen to talk to women offline. | |
| His seven victims were from five English counties. | |
| Officers began investigating Lawrance after Derbyshire Police received a call in November 2014 from a woman who claimed one of her friends was raped by him. | Officers began investigating Lawrance after Derbyshire Police received a call in November 2014 from a woman who claimed one of her friends was raped by him. |
| The court heard that in June 2011, Lawrance drove a woman down a remote country lane near Crick in Northamptonshire and raped her in the back of his van. | The court heard that in June 2011, Lawrance drove a woman down a remote country lane near Crick in Northamptonshire and raped her in the back of his van. |
| Two years later, in July 2013, Lawrance contacted a woman by saying "Boo! xx" 24 hours after attempting to rape her at her house in Spalding, Lincolnshire. | |
| The jury was told he had consensual sex at a woman's house in Buxton, Derbyshire, in November that year, but the following day raped her despite her "screaming hysterically". | The jury was told he had consensual sex at a woman's house in Buxton, Derbyshire, in November that year, but the following day raped her despite her "screaming hysterically". |
| He then sent her a text message reading: "When you were crying out for me to stop I couldn't, I'm so mad at myself xxx" and another saying "I was disgusted with myself for hurting you. I am so sorry. I am too rough for you xxx xx". | He then sent her a text message reading: "When you were crying out for me to stop I couldn't, I'm so mad at myself xxx" and another saying "I was disgusted with myself for hurting you. I am so sorry. I am too rough for you xxx xx". |
| Lawrance, described by police as a "sexual predator", was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in February 2014 by grabbing her right breast over her clothing in a car parked at a hotel near East Midlands Airport. | Lawrance, described by police as a "sexual predator", was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in February 2014 by grabbing her right breast over her clothing in a car parked at a hotel near East Midlands Airport. |
| He was also found guilty of raping a woman in a hotel room in Cambridgeshire in October 2014, in an attack in which he slapped her face and bit her lip, neck and breast. | |
| A month later, he raped two more women - one he had met through Match.com at a hotel in Leicestershire, and another at her home following a meeting at a coffee shop in Sheffield, the court was told. | |
| Det Ch Insp Allison Rigby praised the victims for their "bravery" for giving evidence. | Det Ch Insp Allison Rigby praised the victims for their "bravery" for giving evidence. |
| She said: "Jason Lawrance is a prolific, serial rapist who preyed on women he had contacted through Match.com. | She said: "Jason Lawrance is a prolific, serial rapist who preyed on women he had contacted through Match.com. |
| "These women were looking for companionship and instead what they found was a man who was willing to commit serious sexual offences against them." | "These women were looking for companionship and instead what they found was a man who was willing to commit serious sexual offences against them." |
| 'Darkest alley' | |
| During his defence, Lawrance claimed he had consensual sex with all of the victims. | During his defence, Lawrance claimed he had consensual sex with all of the victims. |
| Derbyshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles said more needed to be done to make people aware of the dangers of popular dating sites. | |
| "Personal safety advice used to incorporate avoiding walking down dark alleys at night, but the internet can be the darkest alley of all," he said. | |
| A Match.com spokesman said it had the "most heartfelt concern" for the victims and that "the safety of our members is our highest priority". | |
| An acquaintance of Lawrance told the BBC he attended school with him in Hinckley, Leicestershire, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. | |
| "Jason Lawrance had a reputation for being a hard boy; the hardest in his year," he said. "You didn't pick a fight with him." |