‘Depraved' fantasist tricked straight men into having blindfolded sex

Man who posed as 'Ana' on dating apps and websites will be sentenced next month

A “fantasist” tricked four straight men into having sex with him by posing as a woman on dating apps and asking his victims to meet blindfolded.

Duarte Xavier, 34, posed as “Ana” on apps and websites over several years, messaging and sending provocative pictures to heterosexual men, who were fooled into meeting for sex.

“Ana” would set conditions, including that the victim must wear a blindfold for the duration of the encounter and was not allowed to touch, the Metropolitan Police said.

Xavier, of Wandsworth, south London, has been convicted of six counts of causing a male aged 13 or over to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

After the hearing, police described him as “depraved”.

He had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing but has now been remanded in custody to be sentenced on 9 November.

Kingston Crown Court heard that at the first reported incident, a 45-year-old man had arranged through a dating app to meet at “Ana’s” flat.

During sex, the victim realised something was wrong and removed the blindfold, only to see Xavier.

The victim was enraged and immediately left. Xavier sent a message afterwards saying: “I got a mental health problem, sorry.”

In a case last year, arranged over WhatsApp, the victim also took off his blindfold and saw Xavier.

There may be other potential victims who, so far, have also felt too ashamed to speak

Det Con Lucy Marsh

The victim reported the incident to police and Xavier was arrested on 16 October and released under investigation.

A number of mobile phones and masks were also seized, the Met added.

In a third incident, in April this year, “Ana” stated that she had to conceal her identity to avoid getting caught because she was married.

As the victim went upstairs, he felt a person grab him and pull his trousers down. What he believed to be a pillowcase was put over his head.

The victim used the light from his mobile phone to discover “Ana” was in fact male, before calling police.

The fourth victim was identified by officers after reviewing records from seized mobile phones.

The 29-year-old man had been too embarrassed and ashamed to tell anyone, police said.

The court heard that Xavier was a liar and fantasist.

Detective Constable Lucy Marsh said after the hearing: “The crimes Xavier committed are unique in their depravity; all of the victims had no reason to believe that they were not engaging with a woman and all have stated unequivocally that they would never have given their consent to sexual relations with another man.

“He is a sexual predator, and I hope the victims, all of whom were traumatised by their experiences, will now feel that they have achieved some justice.

“We are also entirely aware that there may be other potential victims of Xavier who, so far, have also felt too ashamed to speak to police. I would ask those people to come forward, to tell us, and we will treat you with the utmost sensitivity and in the strictest of confidence.”

Kunal Davé, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “I hope today’s conviction not only makes clear just how important consent is, but also gives these victims some measure of comfort, and sends a message to other victims that they are not alone.”

Xavier used platforms including Craigslist, Lovoo and Tinder to reel in his victims, according to the CPS, arranging to meet them either at his home or in the nearby King George's Park.